Todd Merrill Studio has represented Markus Haase since 2013. Influenced by classic and modern European sculptors, Haase masterfully combines several types of stone and wood into one piece, laminating the materials together and carving straight through them. 

Haase immigrated to New York City from his native Germany with 20 years of experience as a sculptor. First drawn to the medium as an artistic outlet, his parents directed him towards a more practical trade education. He entered a master electrician program, which would last nearly eight years. During this time he apprenticed with a stone carver, learning the centuries old trade. His natural talent for sculpting allowed him to easily emulate architectural stone works found throughout Europe. Never fully entering the electrical trade, Haase went on to become a master stone carver, repairing some of the great cathedrals in central Europe while pursuing his own artistic output.

Haase’s work frequently relates to the human form or is drawn from nature, with consistent hallmarks such the Crossover Table, the Bang Series, the Aeolian Tables, and most recently the Sculptural Lighting series, and the Circlet Series of cast bronze lighting. Bold in design, each unique concept is executed by the artist’s hand with a client’s requirements in mind.

The Bang Series is Haase’s statement in case furniture – cantilevered, stack laminated wood and stone have been carved together in an iconic and whimsical gun shape. Commanding in its presence, Bang, by combining stone and wood, is unlike any other art furniture in the genre.

The Aeolian series, is inspired by ripples in windblown sand, epitomizing the sculptor’s distinct approach to fluid carving both wood and stone,  where smooth undulations of bleached ash and white marble appear as malleable as drapery.

In 2015 Haase began incorporating his electrical expertise into new designs. By embracing advancements in LED lighting and using these in congress with hand carved onyx, alabaster, wood, and bronze Haase is producing lighting that has no counterpoint in the market. This series of sculptural pendants and sconces continues to evolve with Haase’s ever changing output.

He is the only artist working today, creating one-of-a-kind bespoke lighting in bronze. Rather than using the material casting as a mechanism for producing multiples, each of Haase’s bronze and onyx light sculptures is completely unique. Each component is hand-carved as a foam model to be cast in bronze using “lost mould” method. Precious stone, onyx or alabaster is hand-carved and set in the bronze like jewelry, diffusing the internal LEDs.

Haase embodies the independent artisan. Each piece bears the distinct mark of the maker’s hand. He is not making a piece of furniture that looks like art. He is a sculptor making art that serves functional ends.