Stephan Balkenhol

Stephan Balkenhol (born 1957) is a German sculptor and artist. He is considered one of the most significant contemporary sculptors and is renowned for his iconic wooden sculptures. His works are characterised by a clear, reduced formal language and a restrained yet expressive use of colour.

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The artist

Stephan Balkenhol lives and works in Kassel, Karlsruhe, Berlin and Meisenthal, France. Born in Fritzlar, Hesse, in 1957, he graduated from high school in Kassel in 1976 and went on to study with Ulrich Rückriem at the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg. After teaching there and at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Frankfurt am Main, Balkenhol has been Professor of Sculpture at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe since 1992. Since 1983, Balkenhol's work has been characterised by his efforts to redefine figurative sculpture.