"Thomas Schutte: In Medias Res"

DIA CENTER FOR THE ARTS

For ignorant Americans, a loose translation: in the thick of it. Having tackled the theater and memory in two previous Dia installations, Thomas Schutte's closing act in this tripartite retrospective addresses the body, the stuff of life (and art). To partner his familiar Michelin men, the artist here sends out female figures cast in metal, along with two large ceramic heads recalling gargoyles, free-form ceramic vessels, and lots of work on paper. Recently, Schutte has returned to traditional sculptural genres, if only to depart again from them. A real presence in Germany, his art is a little less effable than some might like; but that looseness is precisely what intrigues Schutte admirers. Sept. 16, 1999-February 2000.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Artforum International Magazine, Inc.
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