Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery

Karen LaMonte, Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery, 2009, glass, 196122 12 in. (48.3154.957.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance and Colleen and John Kotelly, 2009.24A-C, © 2009, Karen LaMonte

Artwork Details

Title
Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery
Date
2009
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
196122 12 in. (48.3154.957.2 cm)
Copyright
© 2009, Karen LaMonte
Credit Line
Gift of the James Renwick Alliance and Colleen and John Kotelly
Mediums Description
glass
Classifications
Subjects
  • Dress
Object Number
2009.24A-C

Artwork Description

A 1999 Fulbright scholarship allowed leading contemporary glass artist Karen LaMonte to transform her work, enabling her to pursue her interest in large-scale casting in the Czech Republic. That is where the best facilities for large-scale glass casting are located, thanks to Czech artists Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova, who founded the studios that LaMonte uses. During the past decade, LaMonte has used this experience to develop a remarkable series of life-size cast glass dresses.

Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery has roots in the feminist art of the 1960s and 1970s and its critique of fashion, though the focus on gender in this work is almost playful. The frilly straps and a firm hip exaggerate the femininity of a woman conspicuously absent. It is easy to imagine that LaMonte has created a response to the industrial forms crafted by this country's other great cast glass artist, Howard Ben Tre.

Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery shows the technical virtuosity and sensitivity to material expected in contemporary craft, augmented by LaMonte's natural ease with history. This piece is part of her glass dress series, which she began in 2000. It is the strongest piece from this series, with its bold drapery and delicate treatment of the female figure. No other work demonstrates with such clarity LaMonte's grasp of classical style and composition.

Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2009

Works by this artist (2 items)

Karen LaMonte, Untitled, 2002, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Rebecca Klemm, 2010.21, © 2002, Karen LaMonte
Untitled
Date2002
glass
Not on view

Videos

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected

      Karen LaMonte developed a unique process in creating her hauntingly sensual glass garments. She discusses her work titled "Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery," her experiments with material and process, and artistic influences. This Artist Talk took place on February 26, 2010 in the McEvoy Auditorium.

      Exhibitions

      Media - 2016.11 - SAAM-2016.11_6 - 124929
      Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery
      November 13, 2015March 6, 2022
      Connections is the Renwick Gallery’s dynamic ongoing permanent collection presentation, featuring more than 80 objects celebrating craft as a discipline and an approach to living differently in the modern world.

      More Artworks from the Collection

      Bohyun Yoon, Glass Tube, 2012, glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Giselle and Ben Huberman, 2012.57A-L, © 2012, Bohyun Yoon
      Glass Tube
      Date2012
      glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes
      Not on view
      Marvin Oliver, Salish Clam Basket, 2008, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sharon Karmazin, 2021.28
      Salish Clam Basket
      Date2008
      glass
      On view
      Killer Whale Hat
      Date2002
      blown and sand carved glass
      Not on view
      Ché Rhodes, Untitled, 2007, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Merrily Orsini and Frederick Heath, 2021.57A-D
      Untitled
      Date2007
      glass
      On view