Thomas Müller

Thomas Müller is one of the few contemporary artists who work almost exclusively in drawing. Looking at the wealth of his pictorial inventions, however, one could scarcely say that he experiences this self-imposed limitation as deprivation. Very much on the contrary: for him, a sheet of paper is a field for experimentation for the medium as well as for form. Using pencil, ink, or crayon, enamel or oil, he constantly opens up new arcs of tension and structures, as if it were his goal to create completely new sounds using old, familiar instruments.

In the process, Thomas Müller’s drawing style has evolved continuously, borne by an unmistakable individual style that relies above all on two qualities: a sensitive, almost lyrical sense for qualities of abstract expression and a kind of “fidelity to the work” that never subjects itself to illustration but instead depends entirely on its own impressive rigor and self-confidence.

His position is unique within the colorful round dance of contemporary art. That is another reason that Thomas Müller is considered one of Germany’s most important contemporary draftsmen and is represented in international exhibitions and collections. Among the most important venues in his career were his participation in the exhibition Contemporary Positions in German Drawing in Milwaukee (2002) and his stay as artist-in-residence at the Chinati Foundation in Marfa in 2003, which was founded by Donald Judd. He has attracted attention for his exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Bonn in 2003, in the exhibition series Zeichnung heute (Drawing Today) and in spring 2010 for his nomination for the renowned Prix de dessin contemporain of the Fondation Guerlain, Paris.