Large abstract sculpture in orange and pink colors outdoors during sunset with five women walking in line, holding white umbrellas in a grassy field, with trees and a partly cloudy sky in the background.
Modern sculpture installation with three abstract pieces on concrete pedestals, and two geometric wall art pieces in a gallery setting.
Large abstract sculpture resembling a telephone on a grassy field with trees and hills in the background.
Art gallery with colorful sculptures on pedestals, black and white interior with large windows overlooking outdoor trees.
Large, abstract metal sculpture in an outdoor park surrounded by trees and green grass.
Abstract sculptural art installation with geometric shapes, textured surfaces, and metallic elements, displayed against a white brick wall.
A colorful abstract sculpture in a green park with trees and grass, with smaller sculptures and animals on the ground.
Three abstract sculptures on pedestals inside an art gallery with black walls and large windows showing trees outside.
A yellow sculpture of a vintage computer monitor with an extension cord draped over it, situated in a room with gray walls and wooden flooring, viewed through a doorway with dark wood trim.
Abstract sculpture combining wooden, metal, and ceramic textures with vibrant colors and organic shapes.
Abstract outdoor sculpture made of large, colorful, curved metal panels in shades of pink, orange, and white, situated on a grassy field with trees and a partly cloudy sky in the background.
A grassy hillside with leafless trees, a black stone house at the top, and colorful abstract sculptures on the slope surrounding the house.
An outdoor scene featuring a yellow modern sculpture with irregular shapes, set against a lush green landscape with trees, grass, and distant mountains, under a partly cloudy sky.
Outdoor sculpture garden with two modern abstract sculptures on concrete platforms surrounded by green grass and leafless trees.
Outdoor art installations on grassy hill with blue sky and trees in the background.
Gallery of colorful abstract sculptures, some on concrete pedestals, with geometric paintings on the white walls in the background.
Art exhibit in a gallery featuring a colorful abstract sculpture in the foreground and a wall with text. In the background, there are more colorful sculptures on plinths near windows.
Close-up of an abstract modern sculpture with flowing metallic blue and white surfaces against a blue sky with clouds.
Large orange abstract sculpture situated in an outdoor field at dusk, with a dark sky and a bright moon visible in the background.
Close-up of colorful wooden and textured objects, including a peach-colored block, an orange strip, a dark blue surface, a wooden surface, and a textured orange patch.
A textured ceramic sculpture with a white, rocky surface atop a wooden base with natural grain.
Colorful abstract outdoor sculpture with pink, orange, and silver geometric shapes in a grassy field with trees and hills in the background.

A Vase Is Born

An excerpt from SÈVRES MANUFACTORY’S VASE JAPON by Arlene Shechet

An Excerpt from the essay A Vase is Born by Arlene Shechet

“I’m imagining the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century desire for porcelain, a hunger so deep it was acknowledged to be a “sickness.” China and Japan alone held the secret formula for making porcelain until Augustus II, Elector of Saxony and king of Poland, grabbed and imprisoned Johann Friedrich Böttger, a seventeen-year-old alchemist, and tasked him with breaking the code.”

Now in Print
Now in Print

News and Events

  • Sévers Manufactory's Vase Japon

    Public program June 22 at The Frick Collection.

    Purchase Book

  • Big Sister

    Courtyard installation at
    Pace Gallery, Los Angeles

    More Info

  • Oomph

    On exhibit at the Poydras Corridor.

    More Info

  • Read Essay by Arlene Shechet For Art in America

    Read Essay

  • Conversation with Arlene Shechet, Stephanie Barron & David Salle

    February 28, 2026

    Watch Here
  • Contemporary pink and beige abstract sculpture outside at night with a historic building illuminated in the background and people walking nearby.

    Dawn at Art Basel Paris

    Paris, France

    View Video

INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTIONS

  • Colorful modern sculpture resembling an elephant, with a yellow body, yellow trunk, and gray ears, situated indoors near large windows.

    Janice

    Des Moines Art Center

  • Three Sided Dream (for Sophie)

    Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

  • Sculpture of a large, abstract pile of various ceramic objects on a black pedestal in an art gallery.

    Seeing is Believing

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art

  • Abstract outdoor sculpture in a grassy field with trees and blue sky with clouds.

    Bea Blue

    Storm King Art Center

  • Abstract sculpture made of wooden blocks and textured black and white elements on a black circular base, set against a white background.

    Equal Time

    Centre Pompidou

  • A sculpture of a head with curly hair, painted in red and purple, mounted on a tall, textured wooden pedestal.

    After Midnight

    Museo Reina Sofia

  • Mixed-media sculpture resembling an abstract totem or figure with a black base, a metallic middle section with a circular cutout, and a textured, curved black top section, standing on a concrete floor against a white wall.

    Deep Listening

    Nasher Sculpture Center

  • Bronze abstract sculpture with organic shapes displayed on a black platform in an art gallery.

    Twin Rockers

    National Gallery of Art

  • A sculpture of a pink creature with a large open mouth and a small right arm, worn and chipped, displayed on a green platform on top of a wooden pedestal.

    Beginning Now

    Art Gallery of New South Wales

  • Two abstract sculptures resembling oversized heads made of textured pinkish material with paint splatters, placed on stacked white and black brick-like blocks.

    So and So and So and So and On and On

    ICA Boston

  • A contemporary sculpture combining a large tree trunk with geometric and industrial elements, including a black and tan stone block on top, a metal plate, and a metal pipe, all mounted on a rectangular metal base.

    Ripple and Ruffle

    Hirshhorn Museum

  • Close-up of a ceramic sculpture with a rough texture and white glaze, featuring protruding tubes and holes, on a pedestal.

    Out Front

    MOCA Los Angeles

  • A modern sculpture resembling a tall, textured stone column with irregular surface, featuring small concrete blocks attached at various angles.

    The Possibility of Ghosts

    The Phillips Collection

  • A white abstract sculpture displayed on a wooden pedestal in an art gallery.

    Eye Level

    Los Angeles County Museum of Art

  • A sculpture composed of stacked irregular blocks of wood painted and left natural, with yellow sculpted shapes on the side, set against a plain background.

    Fancy

    Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal

  • White sculptural art piece resembling a suitcase with candelabra, a bowl, and decorative elements carved into it, all in white.

    Travel Light

    The Jewish Mueum, New York

  • Tall Feather

    deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

  • An abstract red sculpture resembling coral or rock formation on a round yellow table

    Together: Pacific Time 5 a.m.

    San José Museum of Art

View Full Museum Collection List

  • “Shechet is an artist with energy and second-nature mastery to burn…”

    -Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker

    See the Exhibition

  • "The sculptor Arlene Shechet’s work is held together by a combination of stand-up shtick, fairy tales, strong nerves, and high modernist sobriety."

    - David Salle, New York Review of Books

    Read the Review

  • Arlene Shechet and Sheena Wagstaff on Frieze Masters Podcast

    In Episode Four: On Studios, Wagstaff talks with Arlene Shechet, exploring how central the place and space of making is to Shechet’s work, as well as the significance of the studio in the realm of creativity. 

    Listen to the Podcast

  • ARTNews names Arlene Shechet’s “Girl Group” one of the most defining exhibitions of 2024.

    Read ARTNews Article

Watch The Artist Project with Arlene Shechet at The Met (3 min)

Explore all Video's & Podcasts
Explore all Video's & Podcasts

PUBLICATIONS

Close-up of an abstract orange sculpture with a green landscape background.
Featured
Girl Group

Read Essays by:
Nora Lawrence • Eric Booker • Kate Nesin • Anne Reeve • Sheena Wagstaff

View Additional
Publications

Blue and purple textured abstract background with white text reading 'Frize Masters Podcast' and a small logo that says 'dunhill' at the bottom.

Arlene Shechet and Sheena Wagstaff on Frieze Masters Podcast

View More Podcasts and Videos
View More Podcasts and Videos

  • "...she points out that a metal sculpture can be assertive but also inviting, alarming and seductive, big but light. Her male predecessors in the Blowtorch and Crane Gang start to look blunt by comparison. "

    Ariella Budick, The Financial Times

    Read Review
    A person wearing protective welding gear, including a helmet, sunglasses, and a silver apron, stands beside a large metal structure in an industrial workshop.

  • Tour Girl Group with Arlene Shechet at Storm King Art Center

    In this film, we walked with Arlene Shechet through Storm King Art Center in New York's Hudson Valley, visiting her six large-scale works that were on view in the fall of 2024.

    Watch the Video
    A large abstract metallic sculpture on a grassy field with people walking around, trees, hills, and a clear blue sky in the background.

  • Arlene Shechet Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters

    Artist Arlene Shechet was among the nineteen new members and four honorary members inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters during its annual Ceremonial on May 24, 2023.

    Read More
    A woman with blonde hair and glasses holding up a red folder or certificate, partially covering her face, outdoors in front of green shrubs and yellow plants.