(Fritzlar 1957–lives and works in Karlsruhe)

Gedrehter Mann I & II (2-part). 2003.

Bronze, patinated in black. Artist's proof outside the edition of 7.

At the feed of each one with the incised signature, number and foundery stamp: St. Balkenhol A.P. De Groeve Nevele Belgium.

75 × 50 × 40 cm and 56 × 50 × 40 cm.

Provenance:
- Artist's studio.
- Private collection Belgium.

Literature: Galerie Löhrl, Mönchengladbach: Stephan Balkenhol. Werkverzeichnis der Bronze-Editionen 1992-2019. Mönchengladbach 2019, no. 11 and 12 (with colour ill.).

"It is a gaze that reaches into the distance - into the void, if you will - and at the same time inwards. It is not possible to determine exactly where they are looking. The figures are not looking at anyone, but they draw the viewer's gaze into themselves. Perhaps it is a way of getting the viewer to identify with the figure. In any case, that ambivalence of the internal/ external is important to me." Stephan Balkenhol

German art professor Stephan Balkenhol is one of the most popular sculptors in contemporary art. His sculptures are mostly of anonymous figures that reveal nothing of themselves, show no emotions, seem strangely absent, and remain elusive and mysterious. The artist deliberately endows his protagonists with the necessary distance and mystery to motivate and move the viewer to embark on a quest to decipher their meaning.

Alongside his works in wood, since 1992 Balkenhol has also been creating small editions of bronzes, which occupy a significant part of the sculptor's oeuvre. Just like his wooden objects, these works captivate with their dynamic and rugged surfaces. Balkenhol never uses a model but works with a prototype, which he retains in his visual memory.

Born in Fritzlar, Hesse, in 1957, Stephan Balkenhol was the fourth son of a secondary school teacher and a housewife. During his studies at the Hochschule für Bildende Kunst in Hamburg from 1976 to 1982, Balkenhol was decisively influenced by Ulrich Rückriem. After graduating, he was awarded the Karl Schmidt Rottluff Scholarship and, in 1986, the Working Scholarship of the Hanseatic City of Hamburg, which paved the way for a successful career as a sculptor. Already by 1987, the artist was receiving international recognition. In 1989 Balkenhol was awarded the international sponsorship prize of the State of Baden-Württemberg, and a year later the Bremen Art Prize. While still working as a sculptor, from 1988 to 1992 Balkenhol took on teaching assignments at the Academy of Fine Arts in Hamburg, the Städelschule in Frankfurt and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe, where he has been a professor since 1992. His sculptures, drawings and photographs have left their mark on the public space and can be admired in major museums and private collections worldwide.