Kleiner Minotaurus

Between bull and man, between strength and fragility: Kleiner Minotaurus by Ralf Kleine

The sculptures of Ralf Kleine fascinate through a figurative visual language that seems to come from a long-vanished age. His figures, heads and animal sculptures appear like mysterious beings from an unknown era – beautiful, strange and familiar at the same time. They recall archaeological finds that have suddenly made their way into the present.

According to legend, the Minotaur was a wild creature that raged across Crete, devoured people and left devastation in its wake, until it was finally banished to a labyrinth. Yet this “Kleiner Minotaurus” seems different: unfinished, brittle and vulnerable. The slender, upright body appears almost emaciated, the contours left rough and scarred, as though time itself had worked on the figure. The massive bull’s head with its widely splayed, smoothly polished horns sits heavy and lowered on the fragile body – a striking contrast between animal strength and human frailty. It seems as if this creature had lost its destructive power – what remains is a quiet, almost human vulnerability that invites the viewer to pause rather than to fear.

Cast from 8.5 kg of pure fine silver and standing 34.5 cm tall, the “Kleiner Minotaurus” is one of the more impressive works in Ralf Kleine’s oeuvre – a sketch in the best sense: pared down, raw, immediate. Each of the 25 numbered and signed pieces carries the characteristic scarred surface that underlines the archaic, freshly excavated look of the figure.

Please note: the price of silver is subject to market fluctuations; the final sale price is based on the prevailing fine silver price and will be quoted on request.