Biography
The power of wood
Trees have always been regarded as symbols of primal vitality. Their wood – a living, elemental material – exerts a deep fascination. It is used to create sculptural forms that combine nature and
art in a unique way. Thomas Pildner feels committed to this extraordinary material. He sees his task as sensing the inherent aesthetics of wood, interpreting them creatively and giving the
material its own language that tells stories.
From job to calling
Before Thomas Pildner turned his passion into his profession, he worked for many years as a manager in the aviation industry – an environment that could hardly be further removed from his current
artistic work. A decisive moment shaped his new direction: in 1992, during a lengthy stay in New Delhi, he met a wood turner who made wooden vessels. This encounter triggered a new beginning,
both professionally and personally. Pildner began his creative journey as a self-taught artist – a step for which he remains deeply grateful to this day.
Committed to the material
The wood Pildner works with comes exclusively from local trees that have already been felled. No trees are felled specifically for his work. This approach stems from a deep connection with and
respect for nature. His love for the material is evident in his powerful vessels and objects, which make a striking presence in any room while allowing the wood to tell its own story.
Expression and change
The exploration of classic vessels gave rise to the impulse to create new forms. Today, the artist produces works that appear solid, archaic and expressive – in contrast to the earlier, filigree
bowls. The first step is always to turn the basic body. In a long, artisanal process, Pildner then shapes it further with traditional tools – until the wood finds its final form.
Each work is a metamorphosis: a transformation from nature to art. The result is a distinctive work that pays homage to life, shows respect for the tree and preserves their essence across time
and space.
Kahlil Gibran once said: ‘Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.’
In the best case, these poems have two verses, one written by nature and one added by wood artist Thomas Pildner when the natural life cycle of a tree has come to an end. Then inner beauty finds
its way to the outside, nature is transformed into an aesthetic, highly poetic art object, and the natural life cycle of the wood is extended far into the future.
(Dr Sabine Wilp, President of the German Federal Association of Crafts)
1990 - 2004 Working abroad, a stay of several months in New Delhi, India, in 1992, and meeting an elderly Sikh and learning about his
woodturning skills provided the impetus for this fascinating craft.
1998 Concrete exploration of wood, form and structure as a
self-taught artist.
2004 Deepening of working techniques with renowned woodturners
such as Peter Gwiasda and Mike Tingey, Germany, and sculptor Eberhard Müller-Fries.
2010 Own workshop
Awards
2022 Hessian State Prize for German Arts and Crafts, nominee
2018 Hessian Design Award 2018
2017 FORM#2017, TENDENCE, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
2017 Hessian State Prize for German Arts and Crafts, nominee
2013 3rd prize at the International Meeting of Wood Craftsmen, Woodturning Symposium, Seeg/Allgäu
Works in public collections
Museum of Applied Arts, Frankfurt am Main
International House Campus Riedberg (IHCR), Foundation for the International Academic Relations of the
Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Memberships
BK Federal Association of Arts and Crafts
Arts and Crafts Association in Frankfurt am Main e.V.
Homo Faber Guide | Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, Geneva
Galleries
Galerie Hilde Leiss
Großer Burstah 38, D-20457 Hamburg
Tel +49 (0) 40 36 55 74
Fax +49 (0) 40 37 81 79
Exhibitions (excerpt)
2025 ° ARTe Wiesbaden, RheinMain CongressCenter, Art fair for contemporary art and classical modernism
2024 ° Solo exhibition | Arttreebute 1, Tribute to the Tree | Work in Space | Stadtgalerie Bad Soden am Taunus
2023
° Solo exhibition "WonderWood | Der Baum | Das Holz | Das Werk" Englische Kirche, Kulturzentrum, Bad Homburg
v.d.H.,
° ARTe Wiesbaden, RheinMain CongressCenter, Art fair for contemporary art and classical modernism
2022 ° Solo exhibition "Baum-Metamorphosen", Burg Kronberg, Kronberg im
Taunus
° Robbe & Berking Museum, Flensburg | Kunst Schaffen
° Museum of Applied Arts, Frankfurt am Main | Kunsthandwerk ist Kaktus | Die Sammlung von 1945 bis heute | 3 Arbeiten
2019 ° Zeughausmesse, Berlin
° Bremen finden! Feines Handwerk & Design, Bremen
°
FORMART Bochum, Designmesse, Bochum
° FineArts, Kloster Eberbach, Eltville
° HAND WERK KUNST DESIGN, Dortmund
°Handwerksform, Hannover
2018 ° Bremen finden! Feines Handwerk & Design
° FORMART Bochum, Designmesse
° IHM Internationale Handwerksmesse München, Handwerk & Design
2017 °
TENDENCE, internationale Messe Frankfurt am Main, Modern
Crafts
° Museum of Applied Arts, Frankfurt. "Der Baum lebt weiter", Gefäße aus einer Rosskastanie aus dem Innenbereich
(limitierte Edition, Verkaufsausstellung).
2016 ° Solo exhibition "Metamorphosen eines Baumes", Englische Kirche, Kulturzentrum, Bad Homburg v.d.H.
2015 ° Museum of Applied Arts, Frankfurt am Main, Markt. Besonderes Schenken.
° KUNSTKONTOR im Spitäle, Würzburg
° KUNSTWERK WERKKUNST Schloss Reinbek, bei Hamburg
2014 ° Museum of Applied Arts, Frankfurt am Main, Markt. Besonderes Schenken.
° M14
Verkaufsausstellung für Kunsthandwerk in der Historischen Villa Metzler, Frankfurt am Main.
Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them.
(David Hume)