Silverthorne Jeanne

Jeanne Silverthorne, born in 1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a distinguished artist known for her unique approach to sculpture. She currently resides and works in New York City, where her career spans over three decades, centering around the exploration of the studio environment as both a subject and a metaphor.

Silverthorne’s work is characterized by the transformation of everyday objects into meticulous sculptures. Initially crafting these items in clay, she then casts them in industrial-grade rubber. This process imbues ordinary objects—such as light bulbs, wire cables, task chairs, and shipping crates—with new life and meaning. Often, these objects are altered in scale or color, sometimes with phosphorescent hues, making them stand out while echoing themes of age, decay, humor, hope, and humanity.

Drawing inspiration from predecessors like Eva Hesse, Silverthorne aligns more closely with the “handmade readymades” of Robert Gober, whose works are steeped in memory and personal history. Her art often incorporates elements of nature; dandelions and weeds emerge from rubber floorboards, while trompe l’oeil sunflowers and flies become poignant still-lifes, or Memento Mori. Since 2007, Silverthorne has crafted functional rubber crates for each sculpture, which not only protect the artwork during transit but also become part of the exhibition itself upon arrival.

Jeanne Silverthorne’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from Temple University. Her professional career boasts over two decades of collaboration with the McKee Gallery until its closure in 2015. Silverthorne’s solo museum exhibitions have been held at prestigious institutions such as PS1 in New York, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

In recognition of her artistic contributions, Silverthorne was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017. Her sculptures are part of numerous esteemed museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), and the Whitney Museum. Additionally, in October 2017, her work was showcased at The Addison Gallery of American Art in Andover, Massachusetts.

Today, Jeanne Silverthorne continues to influence the art world not only through her sculptures but also as an educator at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City. Her pieces that quietly challenge the severity of Male Formalism, such as the works of Serra, Judd, and Andre, remain imbued with humility and materiality. She is currently represented by MARC STRAUS, where her work continues to captivate and inspire audiences worldwide.