Sterling Ruby (American/Dutch, born 1972) came to broad national and international recognition soon after leaving graduate school in 2005. Propelled by insatiable curiosity and energy for making art, Ruby quickly developed a multifaceted practice encompassing sculpture, ceramics, installation, textiles, clothing, painting, collage, photography, and video. Although sculpture has played a central and increasingly prominent role in the artist’s development, Sterling Ruby: Sculpture is the first museum exhibition to survey the great variety of sculptural work of one of the most significant contemporary artists today. From monumental ceramic collages to poured urethane compositions, soft sculptures incorporating fabrics dyed and bleached in the studio, and Minimalist compositions of urethane and formica, Ruby’s works cross traditional divisions between media and often straddle the line between high and low, fine art and craft, luxury goods and common necessities. Incorporating a variety of modernist strategies to make expressive works of art with materials typically associated with utility and affordability, Ruby addresses a range of issues—from societal to personal—and re-examines notions of beauty and value.
Published on the occasion of the exhibition, Sterling Ruby: Sculpture presents a richly illustrated survey of the artist’s work in three dimensions and features a new scholarly essay by Nasher Chief Curator and curator of the exhibition, Jed Morse.
Details
Author: Jed Morse; foreword by Jeremy Strick
© 2019 Nasher Sculpture Center
12.25 X 9.25 X .63 in. | 119 pages
58 color plates and illustrations
Hardcover with printed paper over board cover
ISBN: 978-0-9912338-9-2
