For other people, see Sarah Morris (disambiguation).
Sarah Morris
Birth date20 June 1967
Birth placeSevenoaks, Kent, England
Fieldpainting, film
TrainingBrown University
Cambridge University
AwardsBerlin Prize Fellow (1999–2000)
Joan Mitchell Foundation Award (2001)
Omaggio in Histoire(s) du cinéma at the Locarno Film Festival (2012) [1]
Artist in Focus at the Rotterdam International Film Festival[2]

Sarah Morris (born 20 June 1967 in Sevenoaks, Kent, England) is an American and British artist.[3][4][5][6][a][7] She lives in New York City in the United States.[8]

Personal life and education

Morris was born in Sevenoaks, Kent, in south-east England, on 20 June 1967.[5] She attended Brown University from 1985 to 1989, Cambridge University,[9] and the Independent Study Program of the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1989–90.[5] She was a Berlin Prize fellow at the American Academy in Berlin in 1999–2000; in 2001 she received a Joan Mitchell Foundation painting award.[10] She was married to Liam Gillick.[9]

Work

Morris works in both painting and film, and considers the two to be interconnected.[11]

From about 1997 her paintings were geometric Modernist grid designs with flat planes of colour; a related series was of glass-faced skyscrapers with geometric landscape designs reflected in their façades. Among her earlier painting styles were screen-prints reminiscent of Andy Warhol, word-paintings, and paintings of shoes.[5]

Morris's films have been characterized as portraits that focus on the psychology of individuals or cities. Her films about cities, like Midtown, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Rio depict urban scenes, capturing the architecture, politics, industry and leisure which define a specific place.[12] Other films describe a place through the viewpoint of an individual, like psychologist Dr. George Sieber describing the terrorist event at the Olympic Stadium in Munich in the film 1972 or the industry politics of Hollywood from the viewpoint of screenwriter and producer in the eponymous film Robert Towne.[12][13]

Exhibitions

She has shown internationally, with solo exhibitions at Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin (2001),[14] Palais de Tokyo in Paris (2005),[15] Fondation Beyeler in Basel (2008),[16] Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt (2009),[17] Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna (2009),[18] Musée National Fernand Léger in Biot (2012),[19] M Museum, Leuven, Belgium (2015),[20] Kunsthalle Wein, Vienna, Austria (2016),[21] Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo, Finland (2017),[22] UCCA, Beijing, China (2018),[23] Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong (2024) [24]

Her mid-career retrospective titled "All Systems Fail" traveled to multiple cities and museums in 2023 and 2024 including: Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Germany [1], Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Germany [2], Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland [3] and Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Germany [4].

She has created site-specific works for various institutions including the Lever House,[25] Kunsthalle Bremen in Germany,[26] Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen Museum, Düsseldorf, Germany,[27] the lobby of UBS in New York City, the Gloucester Road tube station in London,[28] the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Dutch Kills / 39th Ave Subway Station,[29] Ad-Diriyah Biennale in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,[30] St. Louis Lambert International Airport,[31] General Dynamics Headquarters in Reston, Virginia, Tulsa Convention Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma,[32] Gateway School for Sciences, Queens, New York,[33] and Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio,[34] Key Biscayne Community Center, Key Biscayne, Florida.[35]

Morris's films have been featured at the following:

Public collections

Filmography

  • Midtown (1998)[79]
  • AM/PM (1999)[79]
  • Capital (2000)[79]
  • Miami (2002)[79]
  • Los Angeles (2004)[79]
  • Robert Towne (2006)[79]
  • 1972 (2008)[79]
  • Beijing (2008)[80]
  • Points on a Line (2010)[81]
  • Chicago (2011)[82]
  • Rio (2012)[83]
  • Strange Magic (2014)[84]
  • Abu Dhabi (2016)[85]
  • Finite and Infinite Games (2017)[86]
  • Sakura (2019)
  • ETC (2024)[87]

Other activities

Origami lawsuit

In 2011 Morris was sued by a group of six origami artists, including American Robert J. Lang. They alleged that in 24 works (eventually discovered to be 33 or more) in her "Origami" series of paintings Morris had without permission or credit copied their original crease patterns, coloured them, and sold them as "found" or "traditional" designs. [89] The case was settled out of court early in 2013; under the terms of the settlement, the creators of the crease patterns are to be given credit when the works are displayed.[90][91]

List of affected paintings/models
Painting titleYear paintedSquare painting edge sizesModel titleModel composer
Angel2009214 cmHarpyJason Ku
Bat2007214 cmBatNoboru Miyajima
Black Ant2009214 cmHarvestman (Phalangium)Manuel Sirgo
Calypte Anna2007214 cmRuby-throated Hummingbird, opus 389Robert J. Lang
2008289 cm
Cat200753.5 cmCatNoboru Miyajima
214 cm
Chaser2008214 cmDragonfly, opus 369Robert J. Lang
Clerid Beetle2009214 cmScorpion (Buthus)Manuel Sirgo
Crane2008214 cmDancing Crane, opus 460Robert J. Lang
Cuttlefish2009214 cmSepiaManuel Sirgo
Dragon2007214 cmKNL Dragon, opus 132Robert J. Lang
Falcon2007214 cmCooper’s Hawk, opus 464Robert J. Lang
200853.5 cm
Goatfish2007152.5 cmGoatfish, opus 202Robert J. Lang
Grasshopper200776.6 cmGrasshopper, opus 83Robert J. Lang
289 cm
Hercules Beetle2007214 cmHercules Beetle, opus 271Robert J. Lang
June Beetle2009214 cmCyclommatus metalliferNicola Bandoni
Kawasaki Cube200853.5 cmKawasaki Cube #1Toshikazu Kawasaki
53.5 cm
214 cm
2009289 cm
Leaf Mantis2009214 cmLeaf MantisManuel Sirgo
Lion2007214 cmLionNoboru Miyajima
Mommoth200753.5 cmMommothNoboru Miyajima
214 cm
Mouse2007122 cmRat, opus 159Robert J. Lang
Night Hawk2008214 cmStealth Fighter, opus 324Robert J. Lang
Night Hunter2007214 cmNight Hunter, opus 469Robert J. Lang
Orchis2008214 cmOrchid, opus 392Robert J. Lang
Parrot2009214 cmMacawManuel Sirgo
Pegasus200753.5 cmPegasus, opus 325Robert J. Lang
214 cm
Praying Mantis2007214 cmPraying Mantis, opus 246Robert J. Lang
Rabbit2007122 cmRabbit, opus 186Robert J. Lang
Raccoon Dog2007122 cmRaccoon DogNoboru Miyajima
Rhino Beetle2008214 cmEupatorus gracilicornus, opus 476Robert J. Lang
Rockhopper200720.8 cmPenguinNoboru Miyajima
122 cm
2009289 cm
Swan2007122 cmSwanNoboru Miyajima
214 cm
289 cm
200853.5 cm
Tarantula200853.5 cmTarantulaRobert J. Lang
214 cm
Weasel200776.6 cmWeaselNoboru Miyajima
214 cm
2008122 cm
289 cm
Wolf2007289 cmWolfNoboru Miyajima

Notes

  1. ^ Sources are mixed in reporting her nationality[8][89]; Grove Art says that she is "American ... of English birth".[5]

References

  1. ^ "When the Painting Ends, the Film Begins". Locarno Film Festival. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Sarah Morris Artist in Focus". Rotterdam International Film Festival. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  3. ^ Getty. "Union List of Artist Names". Getty Research. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  4. ^ Benezit. "Benezit Dictionary of Artists". Oxford Art Online. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  5. ^ Francis Summers (2001–14). Morris, Sarah. Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Accessed May 2015. (subscription required)
  6. ^ "MoMA". MoMA.org. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  7. ^ "College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas". Landmarks. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  8. ^ Alison Cuddy (17 December 2013). City Self exhibition attempts a portrait of Chicago. WBEZ91.5. Accessed April 2015.
  9. ^ Gaby Wood (23 May 2004). "Cinéma vérité". The Observer. Accessed March 2014.
  10. ^ Werner Miester (27 March 2010). Best Works by Sarah Morris on View at Gallery Meyer Kainer. Art Knowledge News. Archived 30 March 2010.
  11. ^ Holzwarth, Hans W. (2009). 100 Contemporary Artists A-Z. Taschen's 25th anniversary special ed. Köln: Taschen. pp. 392–397. ISBN 978-3-8365-1490-3.
  12. ^ Rabinowitz, Cay Sophie (25 February 2009). "Interview: Sarah Morris". Art In America. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  13. ^ Erskine Design. "Frieze Magazine - Archive - Archive - Sarah Morris". frieze.com. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  14. ^ "DNB, Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek". Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  15. ^ "Tokyonews 76". palaisdetokyo.com. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Sarah Morris: Black Beetle; June 1 - September 7, 2008"
  17. ^ Erhard Metz (3 June 2009). Sarah Morris: Gemini Dressage Archived 17 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Feuilleton Frankfurt. Accessed May 2015.
  18. ^ D-sign.it. "Sarah Morris "China 9, Liberty 37"". mambo-bologna.org. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  19. ^ "Sarah Morris: Mechanical Ballet; November 17, 2012 - March 4, 2013". Archived from the original on 29 April 2014.
  20. ^ "Sarah Morris | M Leuven". www.mleuven.be. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  21. ^ "Sarah Morris. Falls Never Breaks – Kunsthalle Wien". kunsthallewien.at. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  22. ^ "Sarah Morris - EMMA". emmamuseum.fi. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
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  24. ^ "Sarah Morris: Who is Who | Tai Kwun". www.taikwun.hk. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  25. ^ Schlesinger, Toni (18 September 2006). "Wonderful Towne! Lever House Hosts Homage to Screenwriter". observer.com. The Observer. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
  26. ^ "Kunsthalle Bremen - Current exhibitions - Exhibitions". kunsthalle-bremen.de. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  27. ^ "Sarah Morris". Capitain Petzel
  28. ^ Coline Milliard (12 June 2012). Sarah Morris On Taking Big Ben Underground at London's Gloucester Road Tube Station. ArtInfo. Archived 18 December 2014.
  29. ^ "Hellion Equilibrium". MTA
  30. ^ "Courtship, Ad Diriyah Biennale, Riyadh, 2021"
  31. ^ "Permanent Exhibits". Art of Travel
  32. ^ Writer, BRIAN BARBER World Staff (26 December 2012). "Public artwork dresses up city". Tulsa World
  33. ^ "SARAH MORRIS- Gateway"
  34. ^ "Power of art: Cleveland clinic collection". www.clevelandclinic.org
  35. ^ "Village of Key Biscayne, FL". keybiscayne.fl.gov. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
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  37. ^ "La collection Sarah Morris". fondationlouisvuitton.fr. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  38. ^ Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. "CITY SELF - MCA Chicago". mcachicago.org. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  39. ^ "A Project to Benefit The Farnsworth House and Glass House". art-agenda.com. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  40. ^ "Barbican - Beijing (U*) (UK Premiere) + Sarah Morris". barbican.org.uk. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  41. ^ "Guggenheim Museum - Exhibitions - The Shapes of Space". guggenheim.org. 1 April 2007. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  42. ^ "L'évènement Sarah Morris - Centre Pompidou". centrepompidou.fr. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  43. ^ "'A new view of the city': US artist's film of Hong Kong, star of M+ facade". South China Morning Post. 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  44. ^ "LOCARNO 65 - Lo Schermo del Mondo - SentieriSelvaggi". www.sentieriselvaggi.it. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  45. ^ "Albright Knox Collection". Albright Knox Art Gallery. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  46. ^ "Berado Collection". The Berado Collection. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  47. ^ "Artists at Fondation Beyeler". www.fondationbeyeler.ch. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  48. ^ "British Council Collection". British Council: Visual Arts. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  49. ^ "Le Consortium Collection". Le Consortium. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  50. ^ "Centre Pompidou Collection". Centre Pompidou. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  51. ^ "Cooper Hewitt Collection". Cooper Hewitt. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  52. ^ "Dallas Museum of Art Collection". Dallas Museum of Art. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
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  54. ^ "Fondation Louis Vuitton Collection". Fondation Louis Vuitton. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  55. ^ "FRAC Bourgogne Collection". FRAC Bourgone. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
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  61. ^ "Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg Collection". Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
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  64. ^ "Art Gift to Pérez Art Museum Miami by Mimi and Bud Floback Grows to Nearly 30 Major Works". Pérez Art Museum Miami. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  65. ^ "Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris Collection". Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Archived from the original on 31 July 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  66. ^ "Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles Collection". Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
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  79. ^ Rabinowitz, Cay Sophie (25 February 2009). "Interview: Sarah Morris". Art in America. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  80. ^ Sherwin, Skye (3 November 2010). "Artist Sarah Morris's Latest Film Beijing". Wallpaper. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  81. ^ Moshayedi, Aram. "Looking Glass". Artforum. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  82. ^ Cuddy, Alison. "City Self exhibition attempts a portrait of Chicago". WBEZ91.5. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  83. ^ Johnson, Paddy & Leifheit, Matthew (29 November 2013). "Orange: Sarah Morris at Petzel Gallery". Artfcity. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  84. ^ Kawahito, Wakana. "Fondation Louis Vuitton". SHIFT. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  85. ^ "Sarah Morris". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  86. ^ Briegleb, Till. "Wo Gretel herrscht" (in German). sueddeutsche.de. ISSN 0174-4917. Retrieved 2017-03-24.
  87. ^ McHugh, Fionnuala (2024-02-25). "'A new view of the city': US artist's film of Hong Kong, star of M+ facade". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2025-01-28.
  88. ^ Artists Committee Americans for the Arts.
  89. ^ Dalya Alberge (5 June 2011). Tate artist Sarah Morris 'unfolded' our works, claim leading origami designers. The Observer. Accessed March 2018.
  90. ^ Dan Duray (28 May 2013). Beneath the Fold: The Twisted Tale of Origami v. Sarah Morris. New York: Observer. Accessed March 2018.
  91. ^ Sarah Morris Works Attribution. Robert J. Lang origami. Accessed March 2018.

Further reading

  • Modern Worlds, 1999 ISBN 1-901-352-05-6
  • Capital, 2001 ISBN 3-89611-098-5
  • Sarah Morris: Bar Nothing, 2004 ISBN 0-9546501-1-5
  • Los Angeles, 2005 ISBN 3-00-016363-8
  • 1972, 2008 ISBN 978-3-86560-460-6
  • Sarah Morris: Lesser Panda, 2008 ISBN 978-1-906072-16-2
  • Beijing, 2009 ISBN 978-3-86560-646-4
  • Sarah Morris: Clips, Knots, and 1972, 2010 ISBN 978-89-92819-55-8
  • You Cannot Trust A Surface, 2011 ISBN 978-3-86984-054-3
  • An Open System Meets an Open System: Sarah Morris and Hans Ulrich Obrist in Conversation, 2013 ISBN 978-3-7091-1031-7
  • Sarah Morris: Bye Bye Brazil, 2013 ISBN 978-1-906072-82-7
  • Sarah Morris: Mechanical Ballet, 2014 ISBN 978-2-36380-065-7
  • Frédéric Paul, Sarah Morris: Capital Letters Rear Better for Initials. S.l.: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther Konig. 5 November 2015. ISBN 978-3-941360-46-4.
  • Morris, Sarah (2015). Crease Folds. Ivorypress LiberArs. ISBN 978-84-942820-7-2.
  • Two Erasing Principles, 2016 ISBN 6055815370
  • Sarah Morris, 2018 ISBN 978-952-5509-58-8
  • Michael Archer. "Sarah Morris", Artforum, May 2009, p. 170
  • Nick Haymes, "Sarah Morris", Art Review, May 2009, pp. 70–7
  • Hans Ulrich Obrist, "Sarah Morris", Adam & Eve, March/April/May 2009, pp. 78–91
  • Eric Banks, "Seeing Red", Men's Vogue, August 2008, pp. 114–119
  • Adrian Searle, "Dazzled by the Rings", The Guardian, 30 July 2008
  • Christopher Turner, "Beijing City Symphony", Modern Painters, July/August 2008, pp. 56–59
  • Marcus Verhagen, "Nomadism", Art Monthly October 2006
  • Tanja Widmann, "To Offer You Something", Texte Zur Kunst, September 2006, pp. 248–251
  • Ezra Petronio and Stephanie Moisdon, "Bar Nothing by Sarah Morris", Self Service, Issue No.21, Fall/Winter 2004, pp. 302–315
  • Grosenick, Uta & Riemschneider, Burkhard (eds.) (2005). Art Now. 25th anniversary ed. Köln: Taschen. pp. 196–199. ISBN 9783822840931. OCLC 191239335