Sterling Ruby
Sterling Ruby
16 July—24 October 2026
Sammlung Goetz, Munich, Germany
Los Angeles-based American artist Sterling Ruby is known for his cross-genre work, which ranges from ceramics and bronzes, collages and textiles, to enormous, spray-painted paintings. In his works, Ruby weaves together a variety of different autobiographical, art-historical, and sociological sources. Through deconstruction and reconstruction, he probes the idea of a non-hierarchical and borderless universe. The exhibition at the Sammlung Goetz /Schaufenster will provide insight into his multi-layered artistic practice.
At the center of the Sammlung Goetz/Schaufenster exhibition will be large-format spray paintings, which are among his best-known works. They combine gestural abstraction, graffiti, and atmospheric color fields with an industrial aesthetic, while also deliberately engaging with the history of postwar American painting. In addition to the spray paintings, works from Ruby’s other central series are also on display. These include DESIPRAMINE (THE CARDIAC) from 2011, a vessel-shaped ceramic from the Basin Theology series; early bronze sculptures, including the monumental three-meter-high work RWB DROPS from 2011; and Vampire 81 from 2012, a soft textile sculpture reminiscent of the gaping yet slackened mouth of a vampire. These works not only document Ruby’s enormous artistic range; they also represent further important milestones in his complete oeuvre.