Biography

German sculptor, Ulrich Ruckriem began his career as an apprentice stonemason in Düren, from 1957-9, and as an assistant at the Cologne Dombauhütte (Cathedral workshop), from 1960-1. This early experience of working with stone informed much of his work as a sculptor and in the mid-1960s he began creating minimalist stone sculptures. Yet the juxtaposition of both smooth and rough surfaces reveals the artist’s hand – these are not just found bits of stone but carefully constructed sculptures. Towards the end of the 1970s, Ruckriem began experimenting with other materials including wood and iron.