The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) presents Thomas Demand's retrospective, The Stutter of History, showcasing the artist’s unique exploration of history, imagery, and architectural forms. As the exclusive U.S. venue for this international exhibition, MFAH offers a rare opportunity to experience 58 photographs, films, and wallpapers spanning Demand’s artistic career. Over the past two and a half decades, Thomas Demand has masterfully blended his talents as a sculptor and photographer to capture the uncanny "stutter" of history within contemporary image culture. Supported by Kvadrat, with 300 yards of Divina by Finn Sködt, the exhibition includes a special cinematic installation for Demand’s stop-motion film Pacific Sun (2012), providing an immersive experience for visitors.

Demand’s work delves into the interplay between historical images and his meticulously crafted 1:1 paper models. These models, which he photographs before destroying them, challenge our perception of reality and the images we consume. The Stutter of History examines four areas of Demand’s work. First, the “uncanny histories” feature large-scale photographs depicting marginal yet significant historical events and moments from the 20th century. As a counterpoint to the public and monumental, the “Dailies” (2008-2020 series reflects on Demand’s focus on personal and everyday images, highlighting the rise of social media as a distinct visual genre. Turning outwards and departing from sculptural reconstructions of images, Demand enters a dialogue with models from other creative professions in his “Model Studies”, connecting them to his practice through a utopian rather than utilitarian approach. Lastly, the exhibition investigates Demand’s commitment to the moving image in his explorations of stop-motion filmmaking, as demonstrated in the work Pacific Sun (2012).

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Audrey Jones Beck Building 5601
Main Street,
Houston,
TX 77005

June 30 – September 15, 2024

Monday – Tuesday, closed
Wednesday, 11am – 5pm
Thursday,  11am – 9pm
Friday, 11am – 6pm
Saturday, 11am – 6pm
Sunday, 12:30pm – 6pm

About Thomas Demand

Thomas Demand (born in Germany, 1964) is one of the most acclaimed artists of his generation. His artwork has featured in major exhibitions across the world. His solo exhibitions include shows at Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin (2009), MUMOK, Vienna (2009), Sprüth Magers Gallery, London (2008), the Fondazione Prada, Venice (2007), the Serpentine Gallery, London (2006), the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2005), a retrospective at the Kunsthaus Bregenz (2004), and he represented Germany at the 26th Sao Paulo Biennale (2004). Other solo shows include the Lenbachhaus, Munich, the Castelo de Rivoli, Turin, and the Dundee Contemporary Arts and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark. His work is represented in numerous museums and collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Guggenheim Museum, New York, and the Tate Modern, London and Tate Gallery, London and the New National Gallery, Berlin.

thomasdemand.net

About the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Spanning 14 acres in the heart of Houston’s Museum District, the Fayez S. Sarofim Campus of the MFAH comprises the Audrey Jones Beck Building, the Caroline Wiess Law Building, the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building, and the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden. Nearby, two house museums—Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, and Rienzi—present collections of American and European decorative arts. The MFAH is also home to the Glassell School of Art, with its Core Residency Program and Junior and Studio schools; and the International Center for the Arts of the Americas (ICAA), a leading research institute for 20th-century Latin American and Latino art. 

mfah.org