Thomas Lenk

Vita Thomas Lenk

1933

Born in Berlin as a son of the painter Franz Lenk.

1939

Politically motivated resettlement of the family to Thuringia.

1945

War-related resettlement to Württemberg.

1950

Brief period of study at the Kunstakademie Stuttgart, followed by an apprenticeship as a stonemason.

1952

First sculptural works.

1955

Lenk worked on non-figurative sculptures.

Friendship with artist colleague Georg Karl Pfahler.

1957

Participation in an international competition for a memorial in the former Auschwitz concentration camp.

First solo exhibition in the Galerie Boukes, Wiesbaden.

1959

Marriage to Maria Bendig.

1960

Produced his Dialektischen Objekte (Dialectic Objects): statuary that combines a reference to landscape and to physicality with abstract concepts like space and time.

Several journeys to Yugoslavia.

1962

His first bibliophilic book was created together with Theodor W. Adorno.

His daughter Mia was born on 19.9.

1964

First Schichtungen (discovered in a chance game with beer coasters) created: statuary with areas offset against one another that appear to lie on top of and behind one another, thus creating an illusion of space.

His daughter Ilona was born on 19 May.

1966

Occupation with silkscreen printing.

1967

Travel to New York and London.

He was awarded the International Purchase Award Prize of the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh.

Resettlement to Stuttgart.

1967–70

Designs for the project Inn-Skulptur (Inn Sculpture).

1968

Beginning of an occupation with architecture-related projects, this year including a sculpture-space conception for the Stadttheater Münster, realised in 1972.

Designs of the series Schicht-Block (Layer Block).

Lenk took part in the 4th documenta in Kassel.

Several trips to Italy, Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia as of 1968.

1969

Designs for books and participation in the film project Dreimaligkeit.

He was awarded the Socha Piešťanských Parkov third prize, Bratislava.

1970

Work on the project of a Phono-Skulptur (Phono-sculpture) together with Erhard Karkoschka .

He produced a Schichtung (Stratification) from 70 galvanised steel plates with a height of 3.70 metres, which initially found a home at the Museum Folkwang in Essen and can now be found on the “Tummelwiese” in the Grugapark in Essen.

1971

The Kulissen (Scenery) series was created.

1972

Domestica, Manhattan and Die Kammer und das Monster (The Chamber and the Monster) series; project of a theatre-sound sculpture.

1973

Varia, variable sculpture of identical elements, as well as the model series Kraków and Idem were created.

1974

Resettlement to Tierberg Castle near Schwäbisch-Hall.

Prize of the second Norwegian Graphic Biennial, Frederikstad.

His Schichtungen were shown in the Museum Folkwang, Essen. 

1976

Trip to Cairo on the occasion of participation in the exhibition Licht und Geometrie (Light and Geometry) in the Bab – el Louk.

The Salome model series was created.

Exhibition in the Kölnischer Kunstverein (Cologne art association).

1977

Project of a sound fountain (with Erhard Karkoschka). The Lemuren (Lemurs) (photo collages) and ADGA, as well as experiments with the element of the yardstick were produced.

First experiments with the element of the yardstick.

1978

Second trip to Egypt, guest professorship at the Helwan University, Cairo.

1980

First exhibitions of the yardstick sculptures: the AGDA series was presented in the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, in the Kunsthalle Tübingen and in the Westfälischer Kunstverein (Westphalian art association) in Münster.

Projects of a static ballet with the title Kolo de mort. The video projects Schichten (Layers) and Körperʼs ADGA (together with Irm Sommer) and the Orient und Okzident (Orient and Occident) series of drawings were produced.

1981

Architecture project Stadt über dem Davidstern (City above the Star of David); series of Alpha/Omega drawings.

Trip to Austria and Czechoslovakia.

1982

Kalender (Calendar) (paper objects) series.

Travel to Catalonia.

1983

The Hohenlohe (drawings) and Rotation (sculptures) series were created.

1988

Honourable membership of the Art Gallery of Ontario/Musée des beaux-arts de lʼOntario, Toronto.

1989

Honorary professor of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.

As of 1990

Hexa (sculptures) series.

1992

Member of the Humboldt Society.

1996

ADGA-ALUP (drawings) series.

2013

On the occasion of his 80th birthday, his works were shown in the Kunstverein Schwäbisch Hall – Galerie am Markt.

2014

Thomas Lenk died in Schwäbisch Hall.