LUTZ HELLMUTH (DE)
German sculptor Lutz Hellmuth accentuates and shapes public space through his distinctive pillar figures. His abstract and reduced works are meditations on interpersonal relationships as well as the artist’s perception of the individual and society.
German sculptor Lutz Hellmuth has shaped public spaces through his art and sculptures since the 70s. He began his practice in an academic environment, heavily influenced by ideals and topics of antique sculpture. For Hellmuth the embodiment of this grace lies in the classical depiction of female nudes.
Although his aim to express sensuality has continued up into the present day, Hellmuth has moved towards a more cubistic direction since. While still displaying upright figurations with distinctive curves and postures, they are now made up of chunky blocks of stone. Often placing them as single columns in space, Hellmuth occasionally groups them onto plates as well, allowing them to interact and display relations to each other.
Lutz Hellmuth
Despite their heavy abstraction, the artist still considers the sculptures’ narrative layer, although he admits it to be very condensed and encoded into his formal visual language.
Working in public spaces has marked a crucial point in Hellmuth’s career. He started considering the surroundings of his works and – as a consequence – began to work on architectural drafts and landscape depictions as well. This holistic perspective also shaped his teachings at bauhaus school in Weimar during the 90s. Lutz Hellmuth now mainly puts up pillarlike sculptures. They can be viewed as landmarks, figures, phallic symbols or geometric abstractions, depending on size and placing. Besides his work in stone, Hellmuth is also an author of mystery plans and interior designer of more than 30 churches around the world.
In Bewegung Berg auf-Berg
