Karen Lamonte, Semi-reclining Dress Impression, 2006, cast glass, lacquered steel, and wood, 41 × 34 × 54 inches. © Karen Lamonte. The glass artworks meticulously cast by Karen Lamonte present sartorial silhouettes absent of the human form. Her life-sized dresses made from glass recall the art of classical antiquity, animated with more contemporary, relaxed poses than those found in the marble sculptures of Greco-Roman tradition. The artist skillfully invokes fluidity in a rigid medium. Regarding her subject, Lamonte stated, “In my mind, fabric can be as provocative and sumptuous as human flesh.”
Born in New York City, Lamonte earned her bachelor of fine arts from the Rhode Island School of Design and practiced glass sculpture at studios in New York and New Jersey. Lamonte moved in 1988 to the Czech Republic, an international hub for studio glass production.
Semi-reclining Dress Impression is currently on view in Intersections in American Art.
