Stephan Balkenhol

Stephan Balkenhol
Balkenhol in 2010
Born1957 (age 68–69)
EducationUniversity of Fine Arts of Hamburg
StyleFigurative art

Stephan Balkenhol (born 1957) is a German artist who creates figurative painted wooden sculptures and reliefs.

Early life

Balkenhol was born in 1957 in Fritzlar, Hesse.

Career

He is currently a professor of sculpture at the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe (Germany). He lives and works in Karlsruhe, Germany, and Meisenthal, France.

Artistic style

Balkenhol's work adopts a figurative artistic style, which typically depicts people in a neutral, objective way by removing socio-critical references.

Balkenhol uses a variety of woods, such as poplar, Douglas fir, and wawa wood. He hand-carves each piece from a single block. He uses paint to structure the sculpture.

Artist's public installations

Balkenhol has completed a number of public commissions in his career. Among them are the “Big Head Column” for the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (Venice, Italy), “Big Man with a Little Man” for Pariser Platz (Berlin, Germany), “Man and Woman” for Hamburg Central Library (Hamburg, Germany), “Everyman” for the Edinburgh City Council Offices (Edinburgh, Scotland) and “Toronto Man” (Toronto, Canada).

References

  1. ↑ Costello, Diarmuid (2025). "'Die Schönheit des Mittelmenschen: Stephan Balkenhol's "everyman" sculptures'". Art History. 48 (1): 132–161. doi:10.1093/arthis/ulaf012. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  2. ↑ "The Indefinite and Universal Figures of Stephan Balkenhol". 9 February 2019. Retrieved 2025-09-28.
  3. ↑ "STEPHAN BALKENHOL". Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e.V. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
  4. ↑ Stonard, John-Paul (2000-10-12). Balkenhol, Stephan. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gao/9781884446054.article.t096692.
  5. ↑ "Stephan Balkenhol. "Big Head-Column"". www.guggenheim-venice.it. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  6. ↑ "Art@Site true-self Stephan Balkenhol, Grosser Mann mit kleinem Mann, Berlin". www.artatsite.com. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  7. ↑ "Stephan Balkenhol: Mann und Frau | Kunst@SH" (in German). 2018-05-29. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  8. ↑ "Everyman | Art UK". artuk.org. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
  9. ↑ Heather, Rosemary (2019-12-17). "Look closer at the Toronto Man sculpture on St. Clair West - NOW Magazine". NOW Toronto. Retrieved 2025-10-10.