Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Artist of the day, October 17: Ronald Mueck, Australian sculptor

Ronald Mueck (1958) is an Australian sculptor working in the United Kingdom. Born to German parents in Melbourne, Australia, Ron Mueck grew up in the family business of puppetry and doll-making. He worked initially as a creative director in Australian children’s television, before moving to America to work there in film and advertising. In 1996, he was asked by Paula Rego to make a small figure of Pinocchio for her group exhibition Spellbound: Art and Film, at the Hayward Gallery, London.

Mueck first came to public attention with his sculpture "Dead Dad". This portrayal of his recently deceased father - at roughly half-scale and made from memory and imagination - was included in the 1997 exhibition Sensation at the Royal Academy of Arts, London.

Mueck’s first solo show was at the Anthony d’Offay Gallery, London in 1998. His 5-metre (16 ft) high sculpture Boy 1999 was a feature in the Millennium Dome, and later exhibited at the 49th Venice Biennale in 2001. Today it sits in the foyer of the Danish Contemporary Art Museum ARoS in Aarhus.

Between 2000 and 2002, Mueck was Associate Artist at the National Gallery, London. During this two-year post he created the works Mother and Child, Pregnant Woman, Man in a Boat, and Swaddled Baby and culminated in an exhibition in 2003.

Mueck’s most recent major touring exhibition began at Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain (Paris), in 2013, and travelled to Fundacion Proa, Buenos Aires., MAM, Rio de Janeiro (marking the biggest audience in the history of that museum), and São Paulo, exhibited at the Pinacoteca.

In 2017 Mueck had a major solo presentation at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. As part of the Hull City Of Culture, Mueck's works appeared as part of SKIN, at the Ferens Art Gallery (Hull, UK).

Mueck's sculpture responds to the minute details of the human body, playing with scale to produce engrossing visual images (a style known as hyperrealism). Mueck spends a long time, sometimes more than a year, creating each sculpture. His subject matter is deeply private, and is often concerned with people’s unspoken thoughts and feelings.

© 2018. All images are copyrighted © by Ronald Mueck. The use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained.





Mr Ronald Mueck

At work

Hair do

Ronald Mueck studio

1996-97, Dead Dad close-up

1996-97, Dead Dad

1996-97, Dead Dad

1997, Angel

1998, Ghost

1998, Ghost

1999, Untitled (Seated Woman)

1999, Untitled (Seated Woman)

2000, Big man

2000, Big man

2000, The Boy

2000, The Boy

2000, The Boy

2001-02, Mask II close-up

2001-02, Mask II

2002, Mother and Child

2002, Old woman in bed

2004, Mask

2005, In Bed

2005, In Bed

2005, Mask III

2005, Mask III

2005, Spooning Couple

2005, Two women

2005, Two women

2005, Two women close-up

2005, Two women

2006, A Girl

2006, Wild Man

2006, Wild Man

2007, A girl installation

2007, A girl

2008, Standing Woman

2009, Drift

2009, Drift

2009, Still life

2009, Woman with sticks

2009, Woman with sticks close-up

2010, Youth close-up

2010, Youth

2011, Spooning Couple

2013, Couple under an Umbrella

2013, Man in a boat

2013, Man in a boat

2013, Woman With Shopping close-up

2013, Woman With Shopping

2013, Young Couple

2013, Young Couple

2014, Mask I

2017, Mass (Installation at the NGV National Gallery of Victoria)

2017, Mass (Installation at the NGV)

2017, Mass (Installation at the NGV)

2017, Mass (Installation at the NGV)

Man in Blankets

Pregnant woman

Woman and Child


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