Astonishing Things

Since the early 1980s, Thomas Schütte – three times a participant in the documenta in Kassel, winner of the 2010 Düsseldorf Art Prize, and the Golden Lion as best individual artist at the 2005 Venice Biennale – has worked on architectural model, scenes, and figurative scenarios. Replete with notes on relative dimensions or accompanied by small figures, they correspond to the realisation on a larger scale, with many originally small models having been converted into large-scale works over time. The interplay between the small and the large, between the model and its realisation, and between the notions of art as a model and the models as art recurring themes throughout Thomas Schütte’s oeuvre. So he both instigated the publication of this voluminous book about the show in Bonn and laid down its specific detail. In this way, there is scarcely a single group of works missing from this chronological survey of the past thirty years, in terms of a model or an installation. The model itself is not just the nucleus of both a fantastical oeuvre, but takes on a more seismographic function, and it rediscovered the architectural arts on behalf of fine art.

Exhibition:
Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, 15/07–01/11/2010

Catalogue of the Works

WESTKUNSTMODELLE 1980 WITH TEARS IN MY EARS (WITH NO WORDS) 1980 SICHERHEIT 1981 MEIN GRAB 1981 HAUPTSTADT II 1981–1984 MODELL K + BUNKER 1981–1987 BEINE 1981 TURM MIT LANDSCHAFT 1982 DREIAKTER 1982 MANN IM MATSCH 1982–2009 MODELL FÜR EIN MUSEUM 1982–2007 MODELL UND ANSICHTEN 1982 KOPF UND KRAGEN (MIT/WITH HARALD KLINGELHÖLLER) 1983 STUDIO IN DEN BERGEN 1983–1984 STUDIOS 1983–1986 WAITING FOR A WONDER 1983 TURM 1984 JOKER POKER 1984 RESTROOM 1984 DAS BAD 1984 DRANG 1985 BIRD 1985 SCHOOL 1985 SACCO DI SOLDI SMALL MAN — BIG SHOES 1985–1993 FÜR K. 1985 PENTAGON 1985–1986 ROTES TOR 1985–1986 TODT 1985 WALZE 1985 SCHUTZRAUM 1986–1996 TWO BLUE BOATS — THREE T0WERS 1986–1987 SCHROTT 1986 BANK 1986 DENKMAL FÜR MME. TATI 1986 DENKMAL FÜR JACQUES TATI 1986 QUARTIER D’HIVER 1986–1988 BLUE BOX 1986 PIAZZA UNO 1986 PIAZZA DUE 1986 PYRAMIDE 1986 MELONELY 1986 EIS 1987 KIRSCHENSÄULE 1985–1987 LAUFBAHN 1987 OKTAGON 1987 HAMMER 1987 WEINENDE FRAU 1987–2010 ZITRONE 1987 KARTOFFELN 1987–1988 PICCOLO TEATRO 1988 DOUBLE CROSS 1988 MOHR’S LIFE 1988–1999 CONTROLLO 1988 THE LAUNDRY 1989 ALAIN COLAS — MONUMENT FÜR EINEN VERSCHOLLENEN SEEMANN 1989 WITH TEARS IN MY EARS 1989 OCHS VORM PFERD 1989 CHINATOWN 1989 BIG BUILDINGS 1989 E.L.S.A. 1989 W.A.S. 1989 H.Q. 1989 GALEEREN 1989–1990 COLLECTOR’S COMPLEX 1990 CASINO 1990 BRUNNEN FÜR TÜBINGEN 1990 MODELL UNITOBLER BERN 1991 DIE FREMDEN 1991–1995 WO IST HITLERS GRAB? 1991 PROJECT FOR MIDDELHEIM 1992 BASEMENTS 1993 GROSSER RESPEKT 1993 THEM AND US (MIT/WITH RICHARD DEACON) 1995 KLEINE GEISTER 1995 MY HOUSE — TABLE SARAJEVO 1995 4 TABLES 1996  CHICKEN SHACK 1997 FOR THE BIRDS 1997 LIEBESNEST 1997 KREUZZUG MODELLE 2002–2009 FERIENHAUS FÜR TERRORISTEN 2002–2009 AMUSEUMENT 2002 RENDITEKISTE 2002 TANKE DEUTSCHLAND 2002 ALTE HÄNGER 2003 GOLFHALLE 2003 BERG 2003 PARKHAUS 2003 IKEA-HAUS 2003 BANK 2003 KRANKENHAUS 2003 TOWER OF TALKERS 2003–2006 ROTE FABRIK 2003 ONEMAN HOUSES 2003–2009 KANGAROO SIEDLUNG 2004 PUPPENHAUS 2004 BLAUE BURG 2005 HAUS FÜR DEN SCHÜCHTERNEN VERLEGER 2006 HUNDE 2003–2010 GROSSE GEISTER — ENTWURF FÜR EFFNERPLATZ 2003 MODELS FOR EFFICIENCY MEN 2005 KRAFTWERK 2004 HOTEL FOR THE BIRDS (4TH PLINTH) MODEL FOR A HOTEL 2004–2007 ENGEL 2004–2010 MODEL FOR SCULPTURE ZOO 2006 UBS TURM 2006 HERZBERGWERK 2006 IKEA VARIATIONS 2006–2007 MARZONA MUSEUM 2006–2007 VATER STAAT 2007–2010