Johan Tahon
Monk Study, 2019
Stoneware, 24 x 7 x 7 cm

When organising this auction, we noticed we began to fall in love with the works. Of course, we discuss which ones we’d like to buy. This work by Tahon is high on all of our lists.

Tahon creates anatomy-defying human figures. The downcast heads are the only realistic elements and therefore are key to drawing people into the subject. Initially, Tahon worked in plaster. Later he built his often colossal human figures from a combination of plaster, bronze and ceramics. In 2015, Tahon made a 14-metre-high statue on the atrium of the Ministry of Finance, a place ruled by ratio, in The Hague.

The focus is on that almost ominous sense of stillness to which his sculptures coerce us, as it were – a purity and striving for the absolute. The sculptures also give the strong impression of a laborious and challenging struggle with the artisanal making conditions. This fight is an endeavour of creating a complete image.

Galerie Gerhard Hofland, Amsterdam, donated this work.