Notes

Born in Poland, Peter Schütz immigrated to South Africa in 1952, where he studied Fine Arts in Durban and Pietermaritzburg before accepting a post in the Wits Fine Arts Department. A prolific sculptor, Schütz was awarded numerous accolades, including the Standard Bank Young Artist Award in 1984 and the Cape Town Triennial Gold Medal in 1988.

In Trophy Vehicle, a female body builder holds up the severed, lifeless neck of a giraffe: both woman and animal have become ‘trophies.’ Neither are seen in their unique, beautiful, natural context, but rather as uniform and objectified specimens. Taxidermists use internal models to shape animal heads and skins, creating standardised forms. Similarly, body builders, men and women, strive to conform to the rules of bodily muscle manufacture and, therefore, look alike. Symbolising the destructive relationship our current society has with the world, Schütz’s interest in the clash between culture and nature is suggested in this work.

Schütz is represented in public corporate art collections and public art galleries in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Pretoria, Stellenbosch, Newcastle and Kimberley, as well as New York and Stuttgart.

Provenance

Donated by Jill Waterman