Ron Mueck's Hyperrealistic Sculptures Must Be Seen To Be Believed

Born in Melbourne in 1958 to German toymakers, Ron Mueck began his career as a model maker and puppeteer for children’s television shows and films including Shirl’s Neighbourhood, Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. In 1996, a collaboration with his mother-in-law led him to create Dead Dad –a silicone and mixed media depiction of the corpse of his father shrunk to approximately two-thirds of its natural scale. This piece set the standard for every sculpture to come – all of which distort size and present a hyperrealistic analysis of the human body. Now based in the United Kingdom, Ron Mueck continues to create and exhibit confronting sculptures that depict the human form in enormous detail, illustrating the rawness of the human lifecycle. While some artists present a world of escapism, Ron Mueck doesn’t shy away from rendering brutally truthful representations of everyday people.
Boy, 1999, is a five-metre-high sculpture of a crouching boy which has become the centrepiece of the art museum ARoS in Denmark.

Big Man, 2000, portrays a nearly seven-foot-high naked and hairless sitting man. Designed to sit in the corner of a room, the sculpture appears pugnacious.

Mask II, 2001-2, is the head of a sleeping man, Mueck’s own, lying on its side.

Man in a Boat, 2002, depicts a one-third-scale naked man seated in a four-metre boat.

Two Women, 2005, portrays a pair of elderly women huddling together, protecting themselves from the cold, with faces painted with suspicion, disdain and vulnerability. This piece is owned by the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.

In Bed, 2005, is a sculpture of a huge woman lying in bed with a sheet over her body. Her hand rests on her face, in a contemplative mood.

Wild Man, 2005, is a nine-foot sculpture of a naked and heavily bearded man who appears fearful.

A Girl, 2006, shows a newborn baby girl the size of a car splattered with blood and with an attached umbilical cord.

Standing Woman, 2007, is a four-metre-high woman dressed in black who seems to observe onlookers below.

Drift, 2009, is a two-thirds-scale sculpture of a man floating on his back on an inflatable pool lounge. The sculpture, which is placed on a blue wall, provides viewers with the illusion of seeing this man from high above.