Charles Ray's Double Exhibitions in New York and Paris

Charles Ray (Chicago, 1953) returns to New York with a public solo show after nearly 25 years. Nineteen of his hundred sculptures are on view at the Met's Cantor Exhibition Hall until June 5, 2022. From February 16, 2022, nearly a third of his entire production is presented in two simultaneous exhibitions at Bourse de Commerce (Pinault Collection) and Centre Pompidou in Paris, an unprecedented event in France and Europe. The installations appear un-choreographed but are carefully designed; Ray believes sculpture establishes an inseparable relationship with space. Works are placed directly on the floor, often nude, transcending classical roots. At the Met, the centerpiece is 'Arcangel' (2021), a 4-meter cypress sculpture carved in Japan by master carver Yuboku Mukoyoshi, depicting an angel wearing flip-flops and rolled jeans. Other notable works include 'Horse and Rider' (2014), a 9.5-ton stainless steel piece placed on the ground outside Bourse de Commerce, and 'Unpainted Sculpture' (1997), a crashed Pontiac Grand Am reconstructed in painted fiberglass at Centre Pompidou. Ray's process is slow; he often takes a decade to complete a work. He learned to draw with sculptural materials after admitting he could not draw a figure. The exhibitions are curated in collaboration with François Pinault and Jean-Pierre Criqui.