life
Born 1953 in Düsseldorf (Germany), Thomas Schönauer is a famous German artist. He achieved as sculptor and due to his constant innovation as well as painter an excellent international reputation. The ‘Association of German Arquitects’ (BDA) invited him 2012 as ‘honorary member’. Since 2016 he is board member of the ‘Deutsche Rheuma Stiftung’ (German Rheumatology Foundation).
After his studies in philosophy and literature at the Düsseldorf University he continued his studies in Fine Arts in Winnipeg (Canada) and at the world known Düsseldorf School of Fine Arts. Consequently he started his career as Artist. After he won his first international competition 1987 in Düsseldorf he could win numerous others, such as the general concept of the official German performance during the UN-Earth Summit 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, the world known Water-Museum in Mülheim/Germany and other projects of similar importance.
Thomas Schönauer is a ‘man of Space’ as he mentions in the right occasion. No wonder that his large scale outdoor sculptures are mostly to be found in a distinctive architectural or landscape context. Also his paintings concern themselves with ‘Space’, one can say that he even searches the ‘Third Dimension’ on the plane surface. His distinctive exploratory and innovation urge made him always stay close by industrial processes.
His sources of inspiration are among others the constructive and constant examination of actual topics concerning politics and society. He takes part in public discussions about innovation, digitalization, social responsibility, compliance etc.. He is a most wanted keynote speaker on different stages far beyond the art-world and focuses his studies on the ‘fatalism of linear thinking’. “In the digitalized world societies only can survive with joined-up thinking instead of vertical hierarchies and command structures” is one of his main arguments.
Consequently Thomas takes part in public discussions on a broader level and appears as author in e.g. ‘The Huffington Post’. He even encouraged the German Huffington Post team to start a new column about ‘Inspiration’ and edited the initial article.
Thomas Schönauers works are to be found in numerous international public collections as well as in corporation and private collections.
Thomas Schönauer lives and works in Germany and Brazil. He is married to a Brazilian psychologist and has two grown-up daughters.
