Skip to main content
ISU University Museums
Main Content

A new addition to the permanent collection

Posted on November 24, 2020 at 3:30 PM by Adrienne Gennett



Although the Contemplate Japan exhibition at the Brunnier Art Museum has closed, we have some great news! Through the Joyce Brewer Tomlinson Art Acquisition Fund, University Museums was able to purchase Kimono Maquette 1, Crouching by Karen LaMonte to add to the permanent collection.

Known for her ethereal life-sized female figures in massive cast glass, Karen LaMonte has become an important contemporary artist who’s beautiful and realistic representations of the clothed human form have earned her an international reputation. Her interest in depicting kimono-clad female forms stemmed from several months living in Japan. LaMonte spent her time in Japan learning all aspects of the kimono and its importance in Japanese culture.  By immersing herself in the culture, she was able to better understand the Japanese ideals of beauty and femininity that allowed her to honestly render her figures in kimono. Kimono Maquette 1, Crouching represents LaMonte’s first forays into new materials outside of glass, here in a terracotta colored ceramic with gilded details. The small-scale study depicts a Japanese woman carefully bending at the knees as to not disturb the many layers of her intricate kimono. The sculpture is a wonderful contemporary interpretation of the women found throughout the historical Japanese woodblock print collection that is an integral part of University Museums’ permanent collection. The addition of the maquette adds great depth to understanding the continued and important influence of Japanese culture on contemporary artists, allowing the Museums to exhibit the historical and contemporary arts together for dynamic learning experiences.

If you didn't have a chance to visit this beautiful sculpture in the Contemplate Japan exhibition, you’re in luck…Kimono Maquette 1, Crouching will remain on view in the Lori A. Jacobson Gallery at the Brunnier Art Museum through the spring and summer along with other recent acquisitions to the permanent collection.

IMAGES: Kimono Maquette 1, Crouching, 2012 by Karen LaMonte. Ceramic. The acquisition is made possible by the Joyce Tomlinson Brewer Fund for Art Acquisition. In the Brunnier Art Museum permanent collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

© 2024 University Museums, Iowa State University. All rights reserved.