Thomas Junghans German, 1956

Thomas Junghans (1956, Recklinghausen, Germany) is known for his abstract sculptures in stone, wood and bronze. His works mainly comprise torsos and primal portraits, characterised by a primitive, cubist and expressionist visual language.

Junghans began his artistic training in 1979 at the Stadsacademie Maastricht and continued it in 1981 at the Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht. From 1982 to 1985, he studied at the Fachhochschule Aachen under the supervision of Lutz Brockhaus and Wilhelm Schürmann. 

His sculptures exude a monumental and robust character, with the material taking centre stage. The figures and heads appear to have been shaped with a few well-placed chisel strokes, although this is the result of an intensive and controlled creative process. Junghans describes his working method as a “controlled kind of intoxication”, in which he overcomes an inner paralysis in order to maintain the right balance and tension in his work. Inspired by archaic forms and mythological themes, Junghans combines elements from classical Greek and Roman sculpture with cubist and primitive influences in his portraits. 

Junghans lives and works in the Netherlands with his wife, Siiri Spronken. Since 1981 his works have been exhibited in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Portugal, South Korea, Luxembourg, the United States, Scotland and Spain.