Abstract architectural wooden sculpture, signed and dated underneath. The composition of open & closed volumes bring to mind modernist and post-modern architecture.  It is an exemplary piece of Müller’s key concepts: architectural in presence made of scorched reclaimed wood.

Pjotr Müller, born in Amsterdam in 1947, is a Dutch visual artist currently residing and working in his hometown.
His formal education included a brief period studying architecture at the Technical University in Delft, from which he transitioned to pursue sculpture at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam from 1967 to 1970. Later he studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti e Liceo Artistico in Florence from 1970 to 1971, mentored by renowned figures like Henry Moore and Oscar Gallo. These academic experiences, together with his formative years at his father’s natural stone company, laid the foundation for Müller’s versatile approach to materials, from stone and wood to monumental installations.

Müller’s oeuvre reflects a fascination for architecture to carry deeper, ritualistic meanings. An exemplary manifestation is “Het Paradijs,” an installation that took six years of Müller’s dedication and was showcased at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo (1983-1989). Comprising twelve temple-like structures in varied architectural styles, Müller’s project invited viewers to immerse themselves within it. Müller’s material exploration from granite, as seen in the classicist temple “Nimis” in Beatrix Park, Almere, to assembling structures from reclaimed and partly decayed wood, like the sixteen-meter-high pagoda in the Sculpture Park at the Kröller-Müller Museum. In 1989, bidding farewell to his “Paradijs,” Müller set ablaze not only this structure but also other wooden constructions, creating a “beautiful bonfire.” Müller’s philosophy of temporality, signified the end of one celebration and the commencement of another.