Thomas Schütte

(German, b. 1954)

Pitcher, 2005

ceramic with platinum glaze

edition 3/12

11¼ h × 9⅝ w × 7⅞ d in (29 × 25 × 20 cm)

Property from the Toby Devan Lewis Collection

This lot is located in Philadelphia.

Purchased Marian Goodman Gallery, Los Angeles/Paris/New York

Catalog Note

A student of Gerhard Richter, Daniel Buren, and Benjamin Buchloh, Thomas Schütte is a complex artist, stylistically hard to pin down. His materials include watercolor, printmaking, and installation, but he is best known for his unnerving sculptures of gnarled, bulbous, melting figures made from steel, aluminum, bronze, wax, and other materials. His recent 2024 Moma exhibit featured a wide variety of his expressive, colorful, figural forms.

Well aware that his works tiptoe the border of kitsch, Schütte seems to mirror himself and his fractured identity in his sculptural works. It is interesting to view the offered pitcher here against his figural expressive forms. While not as emotionally evocative as a depiction of a contorted body, the unexpected metallic sheen of a ceramic piece is a textural surprise to the viewer, an opposite assumption of material. “Basically, I want to be different, or on my own, or opposite,” Schütte once said. “I’m in opposition to anything you can mention.”

No visible marks or signatures. Overall very good condition with no significant chips, scratches or cracks to report.

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Please email [email protected] for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

Roger Ward

Vice President, Head of Department, Design

[email protected]312.447.3280

Ward brings over 20 years of deep and wide-ranging design experience to this role. Before joining Freeman’s, he worked in the Design department of a prominent New York-based auction house focused on in 20th-century furniture and design with a particular interest in European furniture from the second half of the 20th century. He also co-owned and operated Full Circle Modern, a successful vintage design store in Brooklyn specializing in furniture from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Mr. Ward also has a broad background in real estate, as an appraiser, broker, rehabber, and investor.

"I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to enter an already robust Design program with Freeman’s. In the coming years, I look forward to expanding this legacy by continuing to feature Design auctions in Chicago and Philadelphia. We will be looking to curate future auctions based on our existing strengths in 20th-century design by building our presence in the contemporary Design space and strengthening the offerings that explore the connections of Fine Art and Design by introducing present-day artists to the market," commented Roger Ward.

Modern Design

Pitcher, 2005

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