Collection: Paul Thek

Paul Thek (1933–1988) was an American artist whose wax body parts encased in Plexiglas vitrines, large-scale processional installations, and paintings engaged themes of mortality, spirituality, and the abject with an intensity that placed him outside the dominant currents of Minimalism and Pop. Working between New York and Europe from the 1960s, he created immersive environments—most notably The Tomb (1967)—that anticipated installation art and influenced subsequent generations. A major retrospective was organised by the Whitney Museum of American Art in 2010.