Stephan Balkenhol

Stephan Balkenhol, born in 1957 in Fritzlar, Germany, creates distinctive and timeless sculptures that are devoid of expression or emotion. These unique works are sculpted by his hand, carved from a single block of wood, and crafted without the use of machinery.

Biography of Stephan Balkenhol

Balkenhol's artistic journey began at the Hamburg Hochschule für bildende Künste from 1976 to 1982, where he studied under the guidance of the Minimalist artist Ulrich Rückriem. During this period, he received two scholarships and later returned to teach at his alma mater in 1988. His artistic focus on the human form aimed to reintroduce figuration into contemporary art, providing a divergent response to the abstract, minimalist, and conceptual trends of the school during the 1970s.

In 1989, he commenced teaching at Frankfurt's Städelschule, a role he held until 1991. Since 1992, Balkenhol has been a professor at the Staatliche Kunstakademie in Karlsruhe.

Starting in 1983, just after completing his art education, Balkenhol's early works featured male and female nudes affixed to pedestals. These sculptures referenced classical Greek art, characterized by refined, geometric features and contrapposto stances. In the mid-1980s, he ventured into outdoor installations, including two sculptures on London's River Thames in 1992 – one on a buoy and another near Blackfriars Bridge.

His installations also grace various locations in Germany, such as Kassel, Leipzig, the entrance of Tierpark Hagenbeck (Hamburg's Zoo), and the Städelsches Kunstinstitut in Frankfurt. During the 1990s, Balkenhol expanded his repertoire to include animals and hybrids, and his artistic practice extended to drawing and photography.

Balkenhol's art has been featured in numerous international solo exhibitions at institutions such as Palais d'Iéna, Paris (2012); National Museum of Art, Osaka (2005); and the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (1991). His sculptures can be found in prominent international collections, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in Quebec, the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC.

Currently, the artist lives and works in Kassel, Germany.

Stephan Balkenhol's Art Style

Balkenhol's anonymous figures are adorned with simple color combinations that are timeless and yet familiar, living and inanimate. His artistic practice upholds the longstanding tradition of woodcarving in Germany and draws comparisons to expressionist sculptors such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Ernst Barlach. 

His sculptures bear a resemblance to folk art, featuring totemic caricatures of everyday individuals. Crafted from a variety of woods like poplar and Douglas fir, the artist works on single blocks using tools like hammers, power saws, and chisels, intentionally leaving traces of tool marks visible in the final artwork. He also embraces the materiality of the wood itself, showcasing knots, grain patterns, and cracks.