Simone Leigh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Simone Leigh
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Leigh in 2017
|
|
| Born | 1967 (age 57–58) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Earlham College |
| Awards |
|
Simone Leigh (born 1967) is an American artist. She was born in Chicago and now has a studio in Brooklyn. Simone Leigh creates art using many different methods. These include sculpture, art installations, video, and performances.
Her artwork often explores the experiences of Black women. She focuses on their stories and how they fit into history. In 2023, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Simone Leigh was born in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents were immigrants from Jamaica. They came to the United States as missionaries. Simone grew up mostly in the South Shore area of Chicago.
This neighborhood was mostly Black. Simone felt lucky to grow up there. She said it helped her feel good about herself. She went to Kenwood Academy High School. Like her siblings, she did very well in school.
Her parents wanted her to go to a religious school. But Simone chose Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. This college is linked with the Quakers. She worked hard to pay for her studies. In 1990, she earned a degree in art and philosophy.
Becoming an Artist
After college, Simone Leigh first thought about becoming a social worker. But an internship at the National Museum of African Art changed her mind. She decided to become an artist instead. She moved to Brooklyn, New York.
It took some time for her to be known as an artist. By 2001, she felt confident calling herself one. She once said, "I tried not to be an artist for a really long time." But she realized she couldn't stop creating.
Her Artistic Style
Simone Leigh combines her training in American ceramics with her interest in African pottery. She uses African designs in her work. She sees herself mainly as a sculptor. However, she also creates "social practice" art. This type of art directly involves the public.
Her art often uses materials and shapes from traditional African art. Her installations mix history with ideas of self-determination. She says this mix creates a "collapsing of time." Her work is seen as a new way to use ceramics in art. She has given talks at many art places. She has also taught ceramics at the Rhode Island School of Design.
In 2020, Simone Leigh was chosen to represent the United States. This was for the 2022 Venice Biennale, a big art show. She was the first Black woman to have this honor. Her art show there was called "Sovereignty." She also won a special award, the Golden Lion, for her sculpture Brick House.
She created her first portrait sculpture, Sharifa. It was based on Harlem historian Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts. She also helped make a film called Conspiracy.
Awards and Recognition
Simone Leigh has received many important awards for her art. These include the Golden Lion from the Venice Biennale in 2022. She also won the Hugo Boss Prize in 2018. This prize is worth $100,000 and is one of the top art awards.
Other awards include:
- The Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize (2017)
- John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (2016)
- Herb Alpert Award in the Arts (2016)
- Guggenheim Fellowship (2012)
- Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Biennial Award (2012)
- Artist-in-Residence at The Studio Museum in Harlem (2010–11)
Art Market and Sales
Simone Leigh's art is very popular. As of 2021, her art was shown by the Matthew Marks Gallery. Before that, she worked with other well-known galleries.
In 2023, her sculpture Stick (made in 2019) sold for $2.7 million. This was a record price for her work at an auction. Another sculpture, Birmingham (2012), sold for $2.2 million in 2022.
Exhibitions and Shows
Simone Leigh has had many solo art shows. These have been in galleries and museums around the world. She has also created public art installations.
Some of her solo shows include:
- Simone Leigh (2004) at Momenta Art, New York City
- You Don't Know Where Her Mouth Has Been (2012) at The Kitchen, New York
- The Waiting Room (2016) at New Museum, New York
- Psychic Friends Network (2016) at Tate Modern, London
- Brick House (2019) on the High Line, New York
- Sovereignty (2022) at the American pavilion, 59th Venice Biennale
She has also been part of many group exhibitions. These include the Dakar Biennale (2014) and the Whitney Biennial (2019).
Her works from the 2022 Venice Biennale were later shown in the United States. They were first displayed at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. This show was called Simone Leigh. It included her ceramic, bronze, and video art. The exhibition then traveled to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. It was also shown at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the California African American Museum (CAAM).
Personal Life
Simone Leigh was married to art photographer Yuri Marder. They met when they were roommates in Brooklyn. They had one daughter together in the 1990s. They later divorced.
Notable Artworks in Public Collections
Many of Simone Leigh's artworks are owned by museums and public collections. This means people can visit these places to see her art.
Some of her well-known works include:
- Breakdown (2011) at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
- My Dreams, My Works Must Wait Till After Hell (2011) at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
- Stack II (2015) at KMAC Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
- Trophallaxis (2008–2017) at Pérez Art Museum Miami
- Dunham (2017) at the Art Institute of Chicago
- Georgia Mae (2017) at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
- Brick House (2019) at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
- Corrugated (2019) at the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh
- Cupboard IX (2019) at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
- Las Meninas (2019) at the Cleveland Museum of Art
- Sentinel (2019) at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
- Stick (2019) at the Whitney Museum, New York
- Loophole of Retreat (2019) at the Brooklyn Museum, New York
- Kasama (2020) at the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas
- Quonset (2020) at the Whitney Museum, New York
- Sentinel IV (2020) at Landmarks, University of Texas at Austin
- Sphinx (2021) at the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska
- Village Series (2021) at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Buffalo, New York
- Village Series (2021) at Glenstone, Potomac, Maryland
- Sentinel (2022) at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
- Sharifa (2022) at the Art Institute of Chicago.
See also
In Spanish: Simone Leigh para niños
