Olaf Metzel

Olaf Metzel is a German sculptor whose provocative and dynamic works engage critically with social and political issues. Born in 1952, Metzel's art often incorporates found objects and urban materials, creating sculptures that challenge conventional perceptions and provoke dialogue. His installations, frequently sited in public spaces, address themes such as historical memory, societal conflicts, and the intersection of art and everyday life.

Olaf Metzel was born in 1952 in Berlin. Since 1990 he is a Professor at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich. Metzel lives and works in Munich, Berlin and Marche.

In addition to numerous solo exhibitions both in Germany and abroad, he participated in documenta 8 and Skulptur-Projekte Münster in 1987 and 1997. In 1984 and 1990, he participated in the Sydney Biennale, in 1995 and 2015 in the Istanbul Biennale, and in 2001 in the São Paulo Biennale.

Olaf Metzel’s sculptures in public spaces are to be found in Germany, other European countries, and Asia. Works by him are held in the following collections: Arp Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck, Remagen, DE | Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Munich, DE | Burger Collection, Berlin, DE | Collezione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, IT | Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, DE | Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf, DE | Kunstsammlung im Ständehaus, Düsseldorf, DE |Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, DE | Museum Ludwig, Cologne, DE | Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, DE | Sammlung Ackermans, Museum Kurhaus Kleve, DE |Sammlung Deutsche Bank, DE | Sammlung Falckenberg, Hamburg, DE | Sammlung Landesmuseum Münster, Münster, DE | Sammlung mfi, Essen, DE | Sammlung Munich Re, Munich, DE | Sammlung René Block, Berlin, DE | Sammlung zeitgenössischer Kunst der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, DE | Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, DE | Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich, DE | The Margulies Collection, Miami, US | Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst, Bremen, DE | ZKM, Karlsruhe, DE.