Wolfgang Thiel (b. Zweibrücken, 1952; lives and works in Plochingen) is a sculptor who makes figurative work. He is especially interested in the southern German tradition of colorfully painted sculpture, which he seeks to bring into the twenty-first century. His experimental handling of various genres and materials suggests a researchers mind. Switching between different materials is key to Thiels approach because their particular characteristics demand his constant attention. Å playful aspect is essential to all his works, which include large-format sculptures in public settings (more than thirty have been installed in Germany) as well as sculptural garden landscapes, stage designs, and costumes. The opulent wide-format book containing almost three hundred illustrations offers a representative overview of Wolfgang Thiels oeuvre and includes the first complete chronological catalogue raisonné of his works in wood.

Wolfgang Thiel studierte 1970-1976 an der Staatlichen Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart, wo er 1987-1991 einen Lehrauftrag innehatte. 2008-2018 unterrichtete er an der Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart. 1990 erhielt er den Kunstpreis der Stadt Stuttgart. Seit 1977 wurden Thiel zahlreiche Einzelausstellungen in der Schweiz, Frankreich und Deutschland ausgerichtet.