Karen LaMonte's 'Nocturnes' Exhibition at Museo Correr, Venice

An exhibition showcasing Karen LaMonte's 'Nocturnes' is currently being held at the Museo Correr in Venice, offering visitors a reflective exploration of night, silence, and the human inner world through stunning glass sculptures, and will be open to the public until February 28, 2026.

Karen LaMonte: A Contemporary Sculptor

Karen LaMonte is a contemporary artist celebrated for her glass, ceramic, and bronze sculptures. Her exhibition, 'Nocturnes', highlights her artistic focus on themes of night, silence, absence, and the inner dimensions of human existence. LaMonte's impactful works invite viewers to contemplate the relationship between body, space, and time.

Her work bridges contemporary art with classical sculpture, emphasizing material and technical processes. She is known for her sculptures of empty women's dresses, evocative figures that speak of presence through absence. LaMonte has exhibited in major international museums and institutions, contributing to the renewal of contemporary sculpture with her innovative use of glass.

'Nocturnes': Exploring the Realm of Night

The title 'Nocturnes' references the world of night as a symbolic and psychological space. LaMonte explores this dimension through dark tones, opaque and translucent surfaces, and essential forms. The long, monumental dresses evoke an absent human presence, suggesting themes of memory, loss, and the passage of time. Light plays a crucial role, creating reflections and shadows that enhance the contemplative atmosphere.

The plastic value of LaMonte's sculptures is central to 'Nocturnes'. Though devoid of the human body, the works occupy space monumentally, engaging with their surroundings. The balance between fullness and emptiness creates plastic tension and depth, with the empty space within the dress becoming an active part of the composition, suggesting an invisible human presence. The surfaces are precisely and delicately modeled, with folds and drapes crystallized in the material, transforming the ephemeral into a stable, lasting form.

The Interplay of Light and Shadow

Light interacts with dark or translucent surfaces, creating reflections and shadows that alter the perception of volumes and intensify the feeling of suspension and nocturnal silence. Thus, the work's plasticity is not only formal but also a poetic language, capable of translating memory, absence, and interiority into visible form.

Here is a summary of the exhibition details:

Themes of Absence, Silence, and Time

The exhibition's main themes include the absence of the body, silence, and the memory of time. The dress, devoid of its wearer, becomes an emotional and symbolic trace, while the night amplifies the sense of mystery and introspection. The works communicate through form, material, and atmosphere, inviting personal contemplation.

LaMonte's Contribution to Contemporary Sculpture

'Nocturnes' solidifies Karen LaMonte's position as a leading voice in contemporary sculpture. Through an essential yet meaningful language, she transforms fragile materials into tools for meditating on human existence. The works, suspended between presence and absence, weight and lightness, make sculpture a sensory and contemplative experience, where night becomes a metaphor for the soul and memory.

Here are some of the key themes explored in the exhibition:

Dialogue with Canova

The exhibition is part of the Dialoghi Canoviani series, which creates a relationship between Antonio Canova's neoclassical sculpture and contemporary art. LaMonte's works engage with masterpieces and classical models in the museum's Canovian halls, creating a comparison between different eras, techniques, and poetics.

Location within Museo Correr

The exhibition is housed in three Canovian rooms on the first floor of the Museo Correr, next to Canova's works such as 'Daedalus and Icarus' and 'Orpheus and Eurydice', in the historical heart of Venice. This placement emphasizes the relationship between tradition and contemporary art, proposing a dialogue between classical and modern sculpture through universal themes such as form, material, presence, and absence.

A comparison of the artists featured in the Dialoghi Canoviani series:

Exhibition Highlights

Key aspects of the 'Nocturnes' exhibition include:

• Exploration of night, silence, and absence
• Innovative use of glass sculpture
• Dialogue with classical art
• Contemplative atmosphere

Here is a table summarizing the key elements of Karen LaMonte's artistic style:

Here's the schedule for visiting the museum to see the exhibition:

The exhibition underscores LaMonte’s ability to transform delicate materials into profound meditations on human existence. Her pieces, poised between presence and absence, weight and lightness, elevate sculpture into a sensory and reflective encounter, where the night symbolizes the depths of the soul and memory.

A quick look at other exhibitions happening at the Museo Correr: