The Pinault Collection proudly presents Genealogies, the first major exhibition in Italy dedicated to renowned German artist Thomas Schütte (b. 1954, Oldenburg), on view at Punta della Dogana. Curated by Camille Morineau and Jean-Marie Gallais, the exhibition offers an immersive journey into the multifaceted world of one of contemporary art’s most enigmatic and influential figures.
Schütte’s practice defies categorization, spanning sculpture, architecture, photography, drawing, and printmaking. Since the late 1970s, his work has continuously evolved, embracing contradictions and humor to pose unsettling questions about the human condition. As the artist himself states, his art aims to “introduce a distorted question mark into the world”.
Genealogies delves into the recurrence and transformation of motifs throughout Schütte’s career. Featuring nearly fifty sculptures from the Pinault Collection—many rarely seen—as well as over one hundred works on paper, the exhibition reveals how forms emerge, mutate, and reconnect across time and media.
The centerpiece of Schütte’s artistic inquiry is the human figure—caricatured, distorted, yet deeply expressive—crafted in materials ranging from clay and ceramic to wax, glass, steel, and bronze. His figures, whether full-bodied or fragmented into heads, are often juxtaposed with drawings and prints, emphasizing the interplay between three-dimensional form and two-dimensional representation.
With its rich contrasts—intimacy and monumentality, humor and tragedy—Genealogies offers a compelling portrait of an artist whose work continuously challenges and redefines the boundaries of contemporary art.
Website: www.pinaultcollection.com
Location: Punta della Dogana, Venice
Schedule: until November 23, 2025
