Paul Thek

Paul Thek (November 2, 1933 - August 10, 1988) was an American painter and, later, sculptor and installation artist. ^[1] Born in Brooklyn, he studied locally, at the Art Students League and the Pratt Institute. In 1951 he entered the Cooper Union.

Although Thek began as a painter, he became known later in life for his sculptures and installations. Notable works include Meat Pieces (1964-66), a series of wax sculptures of human body parts, and The Tomb, a bright pink pyramid installation or "environment", which was badly damaged in 1981 but is documented in Edwin Klein's black and white photographs.^[2] Today his work may be seen in numerous collections, including that of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.

Thek, who was bisexual,^[3] died of AIDS related illness in New York City in 1988.

References

^ During 1967 Paul Thek's exhibition at the Pace Gallery in New York City called Death of a Hippie, [1], predicted the hyperrealist sculptural movement.
^ Lamm, April Elizabeth, "Paul Thek", Frieze Magazine, 115 (May 2008). http://www.frieze.com/issue/review/paul_thek2/
^ “Out-There Man,” Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, November 1, 2010, p. 116

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.

Persondata
Name	Thek, Paul
Alternative names
Short description	Paul Thek entered The Cooper Union School of Art in 1951, and graduated in 1954.
Date of birth	November 2, 1933
Place of birth
Date of death	August 10, 1988
Place of death