Thomas Houseago

Thomas Houseago (b. 1972 in Leeds, Great Britain) is a contemporary visual artist. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

Early life and education

Thomas Houseago (pronounced HOWZ-a-go)[1] was raised by his mother, a teacher;[2] his father was institutionalized for schizophrenia when he was 6.[3] In 1989 he got a government grant to attend Jacob Kramer College (now the Leeds College of Art)[4] for one year.[5]

Houseago left Leeds for London in 1991, at 19,[6] enrolling at Central Saint Martins and later studying at the Ateliers in Amsterdam. The South African artist Marlene Dumas was one of Houseago’s tutors during his time at the De Ateliers;[7] other visiting artists such as Thomas Schütte and Luc Tuymans – both of whom make figurative sculpture or painting – were a huge influence on him.[8] In Amsterdam, Houseago met artist Matthew Monahan and his future wife, painter Amy Bessone.[9] After completing his studies, he lived and worked for several years in Brussels before moving to Los Angeles in 2003.[10]

Work

Houseago is a figurative sculptor who uses lo-fi materials such as plaster[11] and plywood.[12] His work references genres such as Cubism and Futurism and plays on the history and tradition of statues.[13]

He maintains a 20,000-square-foot studio in Frogtown, Los Angeles near the Los Angeles River,[14] close to the studios of fellow artists Shepard Fairey and Mark Grotjahn.[15]

Art market

Early in his career, Houseago maintained a relationship with Xavier Hufkens in Brussels and soon began showing with Michael Werner Gallery in New York.[16] From 2009, he was represented by David Kordansky,[17][18] and his first serious patrons were the Miami collectors Donald and Mera Rubell.[19] Today he is represented by Gagosian Gallery and Hauser & Wirth.[20] Major collectors include Steven A. Cohen, Eli Broad, and Qiao Zhibin.[21]

Selected Individual Exhibitions

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2004

2003

2002

2000

1996

Selected Group Exhibitions

2010
“2010: The Whitney Biennial”, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

2009
Thomas Houseago, Dieter Roth, André Thompkins, The Modern Institute/Toby Webster, Glasgow
Construct and Dissolve, Galerie Sabine Knust, Munich
Beaufort03. Art by the Sea, Blankenberge, Belgium
The Craft of Collecting, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
California Maximalism, Nyehaus, New York
Beg Borrow and Steal, The Rubell Family Collection, Miami

2008
Black Swan, Michael Werner gallery, Projectspace, London, Great Britain
Academia : Qui es-tu ?, la Chapelle de l’Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France
Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner, Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin, Germany
KABUL 3000. Love among the Cabbagesi, Galleria Zero, Milan, Italy
Sonsbeek 2008: Grandeur, Arnhem, the Netherlands

2007
Strange things permit themselves the luxury of occurring, Camden Arts Center, London, UK
Sculptors’ Drawings: Ideas, Studies, Sketches, Proposals, And More, Angles Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Personal Belongings – Contemporary Sculpture from Los Angeles, Sabine Knust Galerie Maximilian Verlag, Munich, Germany

2006
Red Eye: Los Angeles Artists from the Rubell Family Collection, Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL, USA
Making and Finding, The Foundation To-Life, Mount Kisco, NY, USA
Transformers, Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, USA
The Glass Bead Game, Vilma Gold Project Space, Berlin, Germany

2005
Both Ends Burning, David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Six Outdoor Projects, L.I.U., Brooklyn, New York, NY, USA

2003
Passie in Beeld, Ruimtelijk werk uit de collectie van de Nederlandsche Bank, Maliebeeld, The Hague, the Netherlands
Group show/artists of the gallery, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

2002
Stedelijk Museum in De Nieuwe Kerk, Beelden/Sculpture 1947-2002, curated by Rudi Fuchs, Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

2001
Rondom Jheronimous Bosch, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

1999
Glad IJs, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Werk boven de bank, Archipel, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands

1998
Morning Glory, De Ateliers, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Summer Show, Xavier Hufkens, Brussels, Belgium
Acquisitions 1997, De Nederlandsche Bank, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

1997
New Acquisitions, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

References

  1. ↑ Ted Loos (November 6, 2014), Leaving the Monsters Behind: Thomas Houseago’s Long Road to ‘Moun Room’ New York Times.
  2. ↑ Kelly Crow (December 7, 2012), Searching for the Next Art-World Star Wall Street Journal.
  3. ↑ Jori Finkel (January 2, 2011), Sculptor Thomas Houseago's shape-shifting world Los Angeles Times.
  4. ↑ Ted Loos (November 6, 2014), Leaving the Monsters Behind: Thomas Houseago’s Long Road to ‘Moun Room’ New York Times.
  5. ↑ Jori Finkel (January 2, 2011), Sculptor Thomas Houseago's shape-shifting world Los Angeles Times.
  6. ↑ Jonathan Griffin (August 17, 2012), Thomas Houseago’s sacred monsters Financial Times.
  7. ↑ Ted Loos (November 6, 2014), Leaving the Monsters Behind: Thomas Houseago’s Long Road to ‘Moun Room’ New York Times.
  8. ↑ Jonathan Griffin (August 17, 2012), Thomas Houseago’s sacred monsters Financial Times.
  9. ↑ Jori Finkel (January 2, 2011), Sculptor Thomas Houseago's shape-shifting world Los Angeles Times.
  10. ↑ Jori Finkel (January 2, 2011), Sculptor Thomas Houseago's shape-shifting world Los Angeles Times.
  11. ↑ Onajídé Shabaka, MiamiArExchange.com
  12. ↑ Matt Freedman, DrewShiflett.com
  13. ↑ RighArticle.com
  14. ↑ Jori Finkel (January 2, 2011), Sculptor Thomas Houseago's shape-shifting world Los Angeles Times.
  15. ↑ Isaac Simpson (August 20, 2014), L.A.'s Hottest New Neighborhood, Frogtown, Doesn't Want the Title LA Weekly.
  16. ↑ Jori Finkel (January 2, 2011), Sculptor Thomas Houseago's shape-shifting world Los Angeles Times.
  17. ↑ Jonathan Griffin (August 17, 2012), Thomas Houseago’s sacred monsters Financial Times.
  18. ↑ Jonathan Griffin (September 10, 2014), The New Dealer New York Times.
  19. ↑ Ted Loos (November 6, 2014), Leaving the Monsters Behind: Thomas Houseago’s Long Road to ‘Moun Room’ New York Times.
  20. ↑ Ted Loos (November 6, 2014), Leaving the Monsters Behind: Thomas Houseago’s Long Road to ‘Moun Room’ New York Times.
  21. ↑ Kelly Crow (December 7, 2012), Searching for the Next Art-World Star Wall Street Journal.

External links