
United Enemies
1997
Thomas Schütte's "United Enemies" is a two part bronze sculpture that explores themes of conflict and reconciliation through abstracted human forms. The work exemplifies Schütte's characteristic approach of combining figuration with expressive distortion, creating ambiguous relationships between the separate bronze elements. Through its divided yet unified composition, the sculpture invites interpretation about antagonistic forces that are bound together, reflecting on the paradoxical nature of opposition and interdependence.
- Medium
- bronze, in two parts
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House · PhillipsView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
Modern & Contemporary Art Day Sale
March 7, 2025
Lot 31
More by Thomas Schütte
Artists in conversation

Georg Baselitz
German · b. 1938

Baselitz shares Schütte's German expressionist sensibility and commitment to figurative distortion as a vehicle for psychological and political tension. His bronze sculptures similarly use abstracted human forms to evoke conflict and unease within a contemporary art context.

Stephan Balkenhol
German · b. 1957

Balkenhol creates figurative sculptures with a deliberately raw and ambiguous quality that mirrors Schütte's exploration of the human form through expressive distortion. Both artists use sculptural figuration to prompt social and psychological reflection on human relationships and identity.

Kiki Smith
American · b. 1954

Smith creates fragmented and abstracted figurative sculptures that similarly investigate tension between vulnerability and resilience in the human body, often working with bronze and mixed materials. Her work shares Schütte's interest in using divided or distorted bodily forms to carry layered social and political commentary.
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