Nocturnes & Etudes
- YOUR Williamson
- 19 hours ago
- 1 min read
Interventions: Karen LaMonte at Cheekwood
American artist Karen LaMonte is renowned for her ethereal dress sculptures, which explore the interplay of drapery, light and the absence of the female form through her life-sized and small-scale Nocturnes, Etudes, and the kimonos from her Floating World series. The hauntingly beautiful hollow garments with their delicate folds and precise details reveal both presence and mystery. Created in glass and metal, they capture fleeting moments of stillness, while reflecting and refracting light, illuminating the space around them.
The Nocturnes series, drawing inspiration from the night, is seductively dark. Almost closing the gap between the female figure and Mother Earth, the forms reveal themselves as what LaMonte refers to as “figurations of dusk.” The penumbral women have an inherent sensuality that emanates from their form, emphasizing both a fragile softness and an unbreakable strength. A paradox of weight and weightlessness, LaMonte’s work is a ravishing exploration of women.
Placed within the historic interiors of the Cheekwood Mansion, these works blur the boundary between interior and exterior, offering moments of wonder and reflection amid the architectural setting, and recalling the natural beauty of the botanical gardens outdoors.
Cheekwood’s INTERVENTIONS program, made possible by the generous support of the Sandra Schatten Foundation, brings nationally and internationally acclaimed artists to Nashville to activate the Historic Mansion’s storied interiors.
Karen LaMonte will be on view at Cheekwood Estate & Gardens through May 31, 2026. Learn more about the exhibit at cheekwood.org.
