Expansive Exhibition of Karen LaMonte's Work Over Two Decades

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), Reclining Etude, 2017. Cast glass, 23.5 x 59.5 x 28.5 cm. © Karen LaMonte. (Photo: Martin Polak)

Artist Karen LaMonte explores concepts of timeless beauty, strength, fragility, and the “fleeting nature of life” through her stunning sculptural works. Porcelain, bronze, glass, and stone are the materials with which she expresses these ideas—and has done so for over two decades. Now, an expansive exhibition at the Munson Museum in Utica, New York, is celebrating her work. Titled Celestial Bodies: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte, the show features 60 cast and carved works from LaMonte’s archival collection, many of which have never been seen in public. Among the pieces on display are LaMonte’s Nocturne and Etudes series featuring pediments of the Parthenon recreated in cast glass rather than marble. The draped forms, long considered to symbolize beauty ideals, convey a softness and flexibility that the rigid material inherently lacks. LaMonte approaches the traditional subject matter with a contemporary perspective that places the pediments in a new context, allowing us to consider their larger cultural meaning.

“I have always been fascinated by how conceptions of beauty define desire and generate the building blocks of allure—the language of attraction,” shares LaMonte. “Like spoken or written language, beauty is shaped by common idioms and shared experiences that are the foundations of culture. In this way, it is more than just a description; it is a reflection of a greater whole, a visual representation of what is valued in a society.”

LaMonte’s most recent series, Weathering, is also on view. It features scientifically accurate representations of clouds and is inspired by childhood fascination with shapes that would form in the sky and then “magically” disappear. “Clouds intrigue me,” LaMonte shares, “because they make visible the invisible forces of the natural world.” Her lyrical ripples, mimicking the folds of her fabric pieces, take on extra importance given that carbon emissions and rising ocean temperatures could cause some cloud formations to become extinct.

Celestial Bodies: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte is currently on view at the Munson Museum until December 31, 2025.

Artist Karen LaMonte explores concepts of timeless beauty, strength, fragility, and the “fleeting nature of life” through her stunning sculptural works.

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), Reclining Lucent 3, 2022. Cast glass, 51.5 x 153 x 65.5 cm. © Karen LaMonte. (Photo: Martin Polak)

Porcelain, bronze, glass, and stone are the materials with which she expresses these ideas—and has done so for over two decades.

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), Etude 13, 2017. Cast glass, 65.5 x 48.5 x 19 cm. © Karen LaMonte. (Photo: Martin Polak)

Now, an expansive exhibition at the Munson Museum in Utica, New York, is celebrating her work.

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), Hanako, 2012. Bronze, 122.5 x 50 x 44 cm. © Karen LaMonte. (Photo: Martin Polak)

Titled Celestial Bodies: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte, the show features 60 cast and carved works from LaMonte’s archival collection, many of which have never been seen in public.

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), (Group of) Cumulus (1:8), 2020–2023. Various mediums and sizes. © Karen LaMonte. (Photo: Martin Polak)

LaMonte’s most recent series, Weathering, is on view. It features scientifically accurate representations of clouds and is inspired by childhood fascination with shapes that would form in the sky and then “magically” disappear.

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), Vortex, 2009. Vitreous china, 91 x 330 x 10 cm. © Karen LaMonte. Photo: Martin Polak.

Among the other pieces on display are LaMonte’s Nocturne and Etudes series featuring pediments of the Parthenon recreated in cast glass rather than marble.