Balkenhol, Stephan | Kleine Kopfsäule, 1991 — available on Composition Gallery

Wawaholz, painted. literature: Galerie Löhrl (ed.), "Stephan Balkenhol. Heads", exh. cat., Mönchengladbach 1991, cat. no. 18.

Stephan Balkenhol's "Kleine Kopfsäule" exemplifies his distinctive approach to figurative sculpture, presenting a carved male head atop a slender cylindrical column in painted Wawa wood. The naturalistic flesh tones and brown hair of the head contrast with the muted green-gray of the supporting column, creating a tension between human presence and architectural form. Balkenhol's deliberate retention of tool marks and understated expressions reflects his commitment to a quiet, unpretentious figuration that resists the dominance of abstraction in postwar German sculpture.

Stephan Balkenhol (Germany, 1957) is a celebrated sculptor known for his painted wooden figures that combine simplicity with emotional depth. Often depicting everyday people, his works explore themes of identity and humanity while maintaining a sense of mystery. Balkenhol’s art bridges traditional craftsmanship and contemporary expression, earning him recognition worldwide.

Stephan Balkenhol

Kleine Kopfsäule, 1991

Name: Kleine Kopfsäule, 1991
SKU: 17329

Form

Sculpture / Object

Sculpture / ObjectA sculpture is a three-dimension object made using any one of the basic sculpting processes. These include carving, casting, constructing or modeling. Carving materials may be bone, ivory, stone or wood. Modeling and casting use clay or wax, while constructions glue materials together.

Medium

Mixed Media

Mixed MediaMixed media refers to artwork that incorporates more than one medium within a single piece. Unlike multimedia art, which combines distinct forms of visual art and often includes elements like sound, video, or digital media, mixed media focuses on combining traditional art materials, such as paint, ink, and collage. Mixed media art allows artists to achieve a wide range of effects and textures by layering and blending different materials.

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Wawaholz, painted. literature: Galerie Löhrl (ed.), "Stephan Balkenhol. Heads", exh. cat., Mönchengladbach 1991, cat. no. 18.

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Sculpture / Object

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EUR 6,500

Stephan Balkenhol

Sculpture / Object

Acclaimed for his carvings that depict the human-form in a multitude of poses and positions, Stephan Balkenhol is a German sculptor and painter. His sculptures are often carved from blocks of wood with the use of traditional tools – his work is then transformed into a recognisable form with the use of a chisel, light painting of the surface and the creation of highlights and shadows through gradation. His earliest works included the nude form of a human atop a pedestal, works that recalled classical Greek busts – his attention to detail highlights such features as the curve of the eyebrow or the volume of the lip. Balkenhol’s most recent works are largely created with no apparent emotion to detect, and no obvious political or social critique; of this, Balkenhol has stated, “I’m perhaps proposing a story and not telling the end, just giving a beginning or fragment. There is still a lot for the spectator to complete.”

Artwork by Alex Katz

What is figurative art?

Sometimes known as Figurativism, figurative art refers to sculptures and paintings that are clearly or specifically derived from real objects, making them representational. The term figurative art is often used in contrast to abstract art. However, since the emergence of abstract art, figurative art has come to describe any form of modern art that has strong references to the real world or actual situations.

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Stephan Balkenhol

Kleine Kopfsäule, 1991

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Fussballliebe, 2024

Kleine Kopfsäule, 1991

Kleine Kopfsäule, 1991

Femme burlesque (Burlesque Woman), 2013

Private Listing

Private Listing

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