Return to Charles Ray

With a remarkable range of scales, materials, and techniques—from the mixed-media arrangements of his early conceptual works to his later pieces in monumental, carved stainless steel and handmade paper—Ray creates sculptures that invite viewers to rethink their own perceptions and conceptions of space. More recently, the artist has engaged with the long history of figurative sculpture, reinterpreting canonical forms such as the equestrian statue, the nude, and the relief.

In 2015, Ray launched “Thoughts on Sculpture,” a lecture series at the Menil Collection in Houston. As the “Marina Kellen French Distinguished Visitor” at the American Academy in Berlin, he will revisit these reflections in a lecture at the Neue Nationalgalerie, addressing the questions that have shaped his own practice and the enduring traditions of sculpture.