Dutch sculptor and visionary Joep van Lieshout was accepted into the Rotterdam Academy of the Arts at the age of 16. After graduation, he quickly rose to fame with functional sculptures that raise questions about society at large and the nature of art.
In 1995 Van Lieshout founded his studio Atelier Van Lieshout, and since then he has worked under the studio’s name to undermine the myth of the artistic genius. Throughout the past two decades, Atelier Van Lieshout has produced a veritable cornucopia of works that straddle art, design, and architecture, such as sculpture and installations; buildings and furniture; and utopias and dystopias. What these works have in common are a number of recurring themes, motives, and obsessions: systems, power, autarky, life, sex, and death. The works explore the human individual in the face of the greater whole.
Atelier Van Lieshout has exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Hayward Gallery, London; and the Centre Pompidou, Paris. Additionally, the studio has worked on numerous commissions for both public and private clients.
Presented in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago Visiting Artist Program.
