{"id":85199,"date":"2025-07-23T06:11:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T06:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/85199\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T06:11:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T06:11:18","slug":"expansive-exhibition-of-karen-lamontes-work-over-two-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/85199\/","title":{"rendered":"Expansive Exhibition of Karen LaMonte’s Work Over Two Decades"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), Reclining Etude, 2017. Cast glass, 23.5 x 59.5 x 28.5 cm. \u00a9 Karen LaMonte. (Photo: Martin Polak)<\/p>\n

Artist Karen LaMonte<\/a> explores concepts of timeless beauty, strength, fragility, and the \u201cfleeting nature of life\u201d through her stunning sculptural works. Porcelain, bronze, glass, and stone are the materials with which she expresses these ideas\u2014and has done so for over two decades. Now, an expansive exhibition at the Munson Museum<\/a> in Utica, New York, is celebrating her work. Titled Celestial Bodies: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte<\/a>, the show features 60 cast and carved works from LaMonte\u2019s archival collection, many of which have never been seen in public. Among the pieces on display are LaMonte\u2019s Nocturne and Etudes series featuring pediments of the Parthenon<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always been fascinated by how conceptions of beauty define desire and generate the building blocks of allure\u2014the language of attraction,\u201d shares LaMonte<\/a>. \u201cLike 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaMonte\u2019s 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 \u201cmagically\u201d disappear. \u201cClouds intrigue me,\u201d LaMonte shares, \u201cbecause they make visible the invisible forces of the natural world.\u201d 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Celestial Bodies: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte is currently on view at the Munson Museum until December 31, 2025.\n<\/p>\n

Artist Karen LaMonte explores concepts of timeless beauty, strength, fragility, and the \u201cfleeting nature of life\u201d through her stunning sculptural works.
\n\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), Reclining Lucent 3, 2022. Cast glass, 51.5 x 153 x 65.5 cm. \u00a9 Karen LaMonte. (Photo: Martin Polak)<\/p>\n

Porcelain, bronze, glass, and stone are the materials with which she expresses these ideas\u2014and has done so for over two decades.
\n\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), Etude 13, 2017. Cast glass, 65.5 x 48.5 x 19 cm. \u00a9 Karen LaMonte. (Photo: Martin Polak)<\/p>\n

Now, an expansive exhibition at the Munson Museum in Utica, New York, is celebrating her work.
\n\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), Hanako, 2012. Bronze, 122.5 x 50 x 44 cm. \u00a9 Karen LaMonte. (Photo: Martin Polak)<\/p>\n

Titled Celestial Bodies: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte, the show features 60 cast and carved works from LaMonte\u2019s archival collection, many of which have never been seen in public.
\n\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), (Group of) Cumulus (1:8), 2020\u20132023. Various mediums and sizes. \u00a9 Karen LaMonte. (Photo: Martin Polak)<\/p>\n

\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

LaMonte\u2019s 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 \u201cmagically\u201d disappear.<\/p>\n

\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

Karen LaMonte (American, born 1967), Vortex, 2009. Vitreous china, 91 x 330 x 10 cm. \u00a9 Karen LaMonte. Photo: Martin Polak.<\/p>\n

Among the other pieces on display are LaMonte\u2019s Nocturne and Etudes series featuring pediments of the Parthenon recreated in cast glass rather than marble.<\/p>\n

\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

Celestial Bodies: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte is on view at the Munson Museum until December 31, 2025.<\/p>\n

\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

Karen LaMonte: Website<\/a> | Instagram<\/a><\/strong>
\nMy Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the Muson Museum.
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