Munson Museum of Art in Utica, N.Y., will soon present the extraordinary artwork of contemporary artist Karen LaMonte, one of the most celebrated sculptors of our time, in a comprehensive exhibition, Celestial Bodies: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte, on view June 27 through December 31, 2025. Celestial Bodies will explore LaMonte’s career working in diverse mediums to create award-winning sculptures in porcelain, bronze, glass, and stone.
Celestial Bodies is an expansive, breathtaking array of about 60 figures and forms, which not only reflects LaMonte’s life and career but her artistic soul, as well. Her body of work follows an interest in both the presence and absence of the female body within her casts, connecting ideas of timeless beauty and femininity to the idea of the everywoman in a projection of both strength and fragility, permanence and mortality.
“Karen LaMonte’s sculptures are nothing short of breathtaking,” exclaims Stephen Harrison, director and chief curator of Munson Museum of Art. “She harnesses the heaviest, most unlikely materials to express ethereal beauty.”
From her earliest experiments in casting glass to her astonishing achievements in form and size, LaMonte’s work in Celestial Bodies includes early studies, which were explorations in size, light, and darkness, along with photographs inspired by theater and dance.
Her most recent work—scientifically accurate representations of clouds—derived from a childhood interest in how they form and how they dissipate, reflect LaMonte’s ongoing interest in impermanence and light. Of this new series of work, LaMonte observes, “Clouds intrigue me because they make visible the invisible forces of the natural world.” Finding connections between the earth and femininity, LaMonte’s work conveys a sense of connection that transcends time.
Descended from the owner of the first glassworks in America, LaMonte was born in New York City, spending her formative years attending museums as a way to escape the heat in the summer when her family had no air conditioning. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, LaMonte received several fellowships that allowed her to further her study of the concepts of beauty, culture, and the human form.
LaMonte’s work has been shown globally, including at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia; Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington; the Toyama Glass Art Museum in Japan, and the Musée du Verre in France. Most recently, she was honored with a Corning Incorporated Specialty Glass Residency at Corning Museum of Glass and awarded the Master of the Medium award from the James Renwick Alliance.
Admission for Celestial Beings: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte is $10 for the general public and free for Munson Members. Plan your next visit at munson.art. Memberships are available starting at $50 annually and can be purchased online at munson.art/membership, calling 315-797-0000, or visiting the Munson reception desk. Funding for Munson’s 2024-2025 exhibition series is provided by Christian and Cheryl Heilmann; Elizabeth R. Lemieux, Ph.D.; the Family of F. X. Matt II; and Linda and Alan Vincent. Funding for this exhibition is provided by Deborah and Michael Zahn.
Admission for Celestial Beings: Sculpture by Karen LaMonte is $10 for the general public and free for Munson Members. Plan your next visit at munson.art. Memberships are available starting at $50 annually and can be purchased online at munson.art/membership, calling 315-797-0000, or visiting the Munson reception desk. Funding for Munson’s 2024-2025 exhibition series is provided by Christian and Cheryl Heilmann; Elizabeth R. Lemieux, Ph.D.; the Family of F. X. Matt II; and Linda and Alan Vincent. Funding for this exhibition is provided by Deborah and Michael Zahn.
