Stephan Balkenhol (1957). Carved Wooden Human
Stephan Balkenhol is considered one of the most important contemporary sculptors in Germany, widely recognized for his masterfully carved wooden works. He sculpts human figures—men, women, and animals—out of wood, and after the carving process, he paints them to emphasize the anatomy and form. His use of various types of wood continues the long-standing German tradition of woodcarving, deeply rooted in the country’s cultural heritage.
His working method is distinctive: each figure is carved from a single block of wood using traditional tools such as a mallet and chisel—never with machines or assembled pieces. He deliberately leaves the chisel marks, chips, and cracks visible, revealing the raw physicality of the material and the process behind its transformation. The figures he creates are always calm, emotionally neutral, and expressionless—open to the viewer’s personal interpretation and introspection.
In addition to his three-dimensional wooden sculptures, Balkenhol also creates drawings and two-dimensional wall reliefs—also carved from wood—depicting human figures. His work has been exhibited in approximately 170 solo shows and 440 group exhibitions around the world, including the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin.
Balkenhol’s sculptures are part of the permanent collections of 58 major museums, among them the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C., the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt, MoMA in New York, Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. He is represented by 36 galleries worldwide.
In short: all the beauty of wood, touched by the hand of a master.
