Urns (Set of 8)

This grouping of eight ceramic vessels, titled Urns, presents a quiet yet powerful meditation on memory and loss. Each stands between three and five feet tall, crafted from terra-cotta and porcelain, and glazed in a palette of solid colors. Streaks and drips mark their surfaces, suggesting both the passage of time and perhaps even tears. Though delicate, these containers imply both human forms and oversized repositories for ashes, prompting contemplation about what they might hold. The collection is meant to be seen together, like a family, evoking a sense of communal mourning. This work by Thomas Schütte, created in 1999, reflects a broader artistic concern in postwar Germany with the challenges of creating monuments and memorials, especially those that address collective remembrance.