Thomas Houseago (b. 1972 Leeds, England) is a British contemporary artist. He lives in Los Angeles, California, and also has American citizenship. ^{[1] [2]} Much of his work has been figurative sculpture, often on a large scale, in plaster, bronze or aluminium; his large plaster Baby was included in the Whitney Biennial in 2010. He has also made architectural installations. ^[3]

Life and career

Houseago grew up in Leeds in West Yorkshire, where his mother was a teacher. ^[2] He did his foundation year at Jacob Kramer College in Leeds, and in 1991 went to Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. ^{[3] [4] [5]} He then studied at De Ateliers in Amsterdam, where he came into contact with figurative artists such as Marlene Dumas, Thomas Schütte and Luc Tuymans. ^[4] He lived for eight years in Brussels before moving to Los Angeles in 2003. ^{[4] [6] [5]} Houseago held his first solo exhibition, titled Serpent (2009), in the United States at David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles, which was also the gallery's inaugural show. ^[7] In the Frogtown district of Los Angeles, his studio complex occupies four single-story industrial buildings along the Los Angeles River. ^[8]

Donald and Mera Rubell, art collectors from Miami, bought several of his works in 2006. ^[6] His large plaster Baby was included in the Whitney Biennial in 2010, ^[3] and in 2011 L'Homme Pressé, a tall bronze figure of a walking man, was installed in front of Palazzo Grassi on the Grand Canal in Venice during the Biennale. ^{[9] [10]}

In 2022, he collaborated with Brad Pitt and Nick Cave for an exhibit at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Tampere, Finland entitled We. ^[11]

Art market

Houseago is represented by Xavier Hufkens Gallery, Gagosian Gallery and Hauser & Wirth. ^[12] Early in his career, Houseago began a relationship with Xavier Hufkens Gallery in Brussels. He later began showing with Michael Werner Gallery in New York. ^[13] He was previously represented by David Kordansky in Los Angeles. ^{[14] [15] [16]}

Personal life

During his time at De Ateliers, Houseago met the American painter Amy Bessone with whom he lived until 2013.

References

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