Matthew Monahan's Bronze Sculptures at Palazzo Altemps

Matthew Monahan (b. 1972, Eureka, California; lives in Los Angeles) presents his work at Palazzo Altemps in Rome, part of the Museo Nazionale Romano. The exhibition, curated by Ludovico Pratesi, runs until May 15, 2016. Monahan's bronze sculptures and drawings-collages are placed throughout the Renaissance palace, engaging directly with its ancient art collection. The artist maintains his own figurative style, avoiding interstitial or object-based solutions that often feel like mere contemporary clichés in historic settings. However, the project's weakness lies in Monahan's work itself: his blend of avant-garde visual decomposition, post-human references, and pop Michelangelo-esque elements tends to stagnate into a languid comic-like expressionism.