Thomas Schutte

Thomas Schutte's works are almost always proposals, and are consequently almost always in the form of models. At the core of this system of presentation lies hypothesis and speculation, moralism and romanticism, melancholy and black humor. Through early architectural installations and small-scale modeled figures and proposals for monuments, through extensive series of watercolors, banners, flags and photographs, Schutte takes a skeptical look at the world. This new monograph explores in detail the vast scope and extraordinary inventiveness of Schutte's work by documenting his tripartite exhibition at the Dia Center for the Arts, New York. "Scenewright" focuses on issues relating to sceneography and theater; "Gloria in Memoria" explores memorials, monuments and antiheroes; and "In Media Res" presents recent ceramics and a related series of monumental steel sculptures.