What does the art of the past mean to the artist of the present? In this ongoing program, moderated by Kimbell staff, artists and architects discuss works in the museum’s collection, share the special insights of the practicing professional, and relate older art to contemporary artistic concerns, including their own. The program is free and requires no reservations.
Anthony Sonnenberg, artist, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Moderated by Jennifer Casler Price, curator of Asian, African, and Ancient American art
Anthony Sonnenberg’s elaborate hand-built ceramic sculptures echo the decadent elaborations of Baroque and Rococo embellishment. With his reference to still-life imagery, art-historical tropes, and mythological narratives, Sonnenberg uses casting and experimental glaze treatments to create decorative forms meant to elevate and excite. Upon closer inspection, the viewer can vaguely identify familiar modern tchotchkes built into the structures, covered in platinum lusters and thick glazes that appear to be melting, revealing the duality underneath.
Images:
Anthony Sonnenberg, Urn (pet and parent), 2020–21, porcelain over stoneware and recycled ceramic tchotchkes, glaze. Courtesy of Conduit Gallery, Dallas, TX
Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Modello for the Triton Fountain in Piazza Navona, Rome, 1653, terracotta. Kimbell Art Museum