The larger-than-life sculptures and stranger-than-fiction journey of Thomas Houseago
Thomas Houseago, who is fast becoming known for large, monstrous sculptures that exaggerate both the strength and frailty of the human form, has some serious art-world fans.
Paul Schimmel, the chief curator at MOCA, says Houseago's work "has never been better than it is today. And it's never been more ambitious than it is today."
Francois Pinault, the French billionaire art collector, has just commissioned him to do a monumental bronze for his Palazzo Grassi on the Grand Canal in Venice, to be installed outside before this year's Venice Biennale.
Sarah Watson, the director of L&M Arts in Venice (where Houseago has a show opening Jan. 22), said that "I've worked with young artists a long time, and I haven't seen anything like this." She calls it "a perfect storm of curatorial and collector interest."
But Houseago, who moved to Los Angeles in 2003, is visibly uncomfortable with the role of hot young artist. "I'm being viewed as a sudden success. But I'm 38 -- I left art school 14 years ago, and I'm from the [bowels] of the world, the north of England," he said, using a more vulgar term for it. "My journey has been long and complicated."
Click here for the full Arts & Books story on Houseago's sculpture, and his improbable journey from Leeds to Los Angeles.
-- Jori Finkel
www.twitter.com/jorifinkel
Photo: Thomas Houseago's studio in Frogtown, near the Los Angeles River. Credit: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times
Houseago's work is indeed very interesting, but his meteoric rise in the art world was more about the syndicate of powerful collectors that drove his prices up in collusion with canny gallerists who successfully placed his work with that same global manipulation machine. That perfect storm usually only happens with good artists, but it's more about millionaires manipulating things to make MORE millions that just simple appreciation of art. Houseago's sculptures are basically commodities. In general they all pretty much look alike and provide no visceral, soul-inspiring thrills - just more retro plays off the classics. Donald Frazell would probably agree.
Posted by: Meg A. Doppler | January 02, 2011 at 08:27 AM
I totally by get him. If Picasso was a ancient Greek sculptor who made giant Robot toys that got ravaged by a volcano. If Thomas Houseago didn't do the low Tec flat elements mixed with an echo of real sculpting he wouldn't be popular. His strength is in compromising his power to depict pure form, in the metaphor of the damaged body of the once great warrior, perfect timing for a reflection of our damaged war vets and the art world in general. The ravaged as power. Corporations are getting rich off our boys wrecked bodies, why not double dip and get rich of of art that portrays it? A wonderfully ugly cosmic joke.
Posted by: william wray | January 02, 2011 at 05:34 PM
Yup.
Posted by: Donald Frazell | January 03, 2011 at 08:27 AM