Thomas Schütte

(German, born 1954)

Thomas Schütte is a contemporary German artist. Working across media in print, watercolor, and installation, he is best known for his sculptures—particularly his figures—which range from miniatures to large-scale public works. Often unsettling or uncomfortable, his sculptures feature twisted expressions and a malevolent presence, exploring the artist’s role in contemporary society. Among his other projects, Schütte notably created a series of architectural models, among them Model for a Hotel (2003), which occupied the Fourth Plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square in 2007. He was born on November 16, 1954, in Oldenburg, Germany and studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under Benjamin Buchloh and Gerhard Richter. From 1998 to 2000, he was the subject of a three-part survey at the Dia Center for the Arts in New York City. His awards include the Golden Lion at the 2005 Venice Biennial and the 2010 Düsseldorf Prize. His work is held in the collections of the Tate Modern in London, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Art Institute of Chicago. The artist lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany.