06.07.2011
Neue Nationalgalerie
The collection of sculptures on show in the outdoor areas of the Neue Nationalgalerie has been enriched by the addition of a sculpture by Thomas Schütte, bearing the title 'Vater Staat' (or 'Father State'), dating from 2011.
Thomas Schütte was born in 1954 in Oldenburg, near Bremen, and studied at the academy of art in Düsseldorf, where he still lives and works. A versatile artist, he works in the media of sculpture, installation, drawing, and watercolour. In 2005, he claimed the prestigious 'Golden Lion' at the Venice Biennale in the category of best individual artist.
His over-life-sized, 1.1-ton-heavy statue 'Vater Staat' stands on the Neue Nationalgalerie's forecourt facing towards Kulturforum and Potsdamer Platz. Thomas Schütte himself says that 'Vater Staat' contains no overtly political message, because, in his words, he does not think much of 'sculptures that profess things publicly'. The bronze work that stands almost twice as high as an average man was dubbed 'Vater Staat' by assistants at his studio, because the initial miniature model bore a likeness to the German Home Secretary at the time, Wolfgang Schäuble.
Vater Staat, it appears, has no hands, and his arms are bound so tightly that it is impossible for him to manoeuvre. One has to wonder if he is able to do anything at all. His solid footing seems to be largely due to the folds of his robe, rather than his actual stance. This is why he expresses, what Tony Cragg terms, a 'combination of power and cowardice'. In its rigid frontality, the imposing figure gives rise to various further associations: it is reminiscent both of the countless monumental statues of Bismarck dating from imperial Germany and of Auguste Rodin's statue of Balzac (1893-97), seen wearing a similarly elaborate robe.
The statue is a permanent loan from the Berggruen family.
