THOMAS HOUSEAGO

Early Years and Influences

Raised by a single mother who emphasised visual arts and architecture, Houseago developed an early sensitivity to physical forms and emotional nuance, which is reflected in the robust yet vulnerable dispositions of his sculpted figures. Born in West Yorkshire, he studied at Jacob Kramer College in Leeds and Central Saint Martins in London. In 1994, he moved to Amsterdam to study at De Atelier, where he encountered the work of figurative artists such as Marlene Dumas. After eight years in Brussels, Houseago relocated to Los Angeles, where he has lived and worked since 2004. His first solo exhibition in the U.S., Serpent, was held at David Kordansky Gallery in Culver City in 2008.

Artistic Approach and Themes

Houseago’s skeletal figures appear across drawing, painting, installation, and sculpture, often made from seemingly flimsy materials and placed in vulnerable postures. His early works were influenced by Joseph Beuys and late-period Pablo Picasso, with later inspirations including Henry Moore, Francis Picabia, and Jacob Epstein. Distorted bodies and figures in motion are central to his practice, as seen in works like Folded Man (1997) and Joanne (6 views) (2005).

Houseago credits the fragility of the white male psyche for much of his inspiration, referencing the industrial collapse of Northern England and the resulting hyper-macho culture. Public installations such as Golem (1988) subvert expectations of monumentality, while pieces like Untitled (Folded man red stomach) (2000) reveal vulnerability through hollowed forms and exposed musculature.

Recent Developments and Exhibitions

Since 2022, Houseago has expanded his practice to include immersive architectural installations and a renewed focus on painting, especially landscapes and still lifes following a period of personal recovery. His exhibition history includes shows at major institutions worldwide, including TANK Shanghai (2023), Centre Pompidou-Metz (2022), Sara Hildén Museum in Tampere (2022), and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels (2021).

A major highlight is Houseago’s first single-artist survey exhibition at the Rubell Museum in Miami, titled First Light (1 December 2025–27 September 2026). The exhibition fills seven galleries and features over 20 works spanning the past two decades, including new large-scale collaged paintings and sculptures. This marks the first solo survey at the Rubell Museum and underscores Houseago’s ongoing engagement with psychological intensity and material experimentation.

Reimagining Sculpture

Houseago’s sculptures, with their rough surfaces and incomplete forms, emphasise the process of making and retain a humble, handmade quality. Works like Figure 2 (2008) integrate graphite drawings on flat wooden surfaces, while Malibu Owl (2020) combines aluminum and stone with expressive, scribbled motifs. His recent paintings, executed in vivid hues, explore the emotional and spatial power of color and nature, often created outdoors in locations such as Big Sur and Malibu.

Recent Solo and Group Exhibitions

Thomas Houseago has enjoyed recent solo and group exhibitions at major institutions across the globe, including:

• Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (2019)
• Royal Academy, London (2019)
• Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels (2021)
• Centre Pompidou-Metz, France (2022)
• Sara Hildén Museum, Tampere, Finland (2022)
• TANK Shanghai, China (2023)
• Rubell Museum, Miami (2025–2026)
• Michael Werner Gallery, New York (2025)

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Ocula | 2025