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Theaster Gates Art

American, b. 1973

The work of Theaster Gates (b. 1973) extends beyond museums and galleries to reclaimed buildings and whole city blocks. Approaching his work as both an urban planner and an artist, Gates’s multifaceted career has involved community projects, installations, performances with his musical ensemble the Black Monks and sculpture. Initially focused on ceramics, he has used that experience of shaping material into something new in his social-practice-oriented art.

Alongside art engaging with Black history in the United States — such as his Civil Tapestry series (2011) in which layered fire hoses evoke abstract paintings as well as the police’s use of hoses on civil rights activists — Gates has spearheaded initiatives to revitalize his hometown of Chicago. In 2010, in response to the many structures that have over time become abandoned in his South Side neighborhood, Gates launched the Rebuild Foundation. The project has seen the renovation of a number of buildings, with one being transformed into a gallery space.

After earning a bachelor’s in urban planning at Iowa State University and later pursuing religious studies at the University of Cape Town, Gates studied pottery with ceramics masters in Japan. He returned to the United States to finish multidisciplinary master’s work in urban planning, ceramics and religious studies. Gates brings these areas and his civic-minded projects together in pieces such as 2007’s Plate Convergence, for which he made 50 plank-shaped clay plates. For the exhibition’s installation, the plates were hung on a wall at Chicago’s Hyde Park Art Center paired with a projection of a pre-filmed dinner featuring the tableware, which referenced the history of the plates and the “unexpected relationships” that emerged around them. 

Gates’s art regularly elevates underappreciated materials, including roofer’s tar and beetle-damaged ash trees that were made into pillars for his 2019 solo show at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. A sense of place and the vitality of these objects is always central, such as Martyr Construction, his exhibition at the 2015 Venice Biennale. The work featured elements of a demolished Chicago church, a reflection on the civic failures to preserve sacred architecture in marginalized neighborhoods.

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Artist: Theaster Gates
Stand-Ins for Period of Wreckage 25
By Theaster Gates
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A sculpture by Theaster Gates. "Stand-Ins for Period of Wreckage 25" is a contemporary sculpture, white concrete and porcelain by American, Blue Chip artist Theaster Gates. The artwork is unsigned. Theaster Gates' practice includes sculpture, installation, performance and urban interventions that aim to bridge the gap between art and life. Gates works as an artist, curator, urbanist and facilitator and his projects attempt to instigate the creation of cultural communities by acting as catalysts for social engagement that leads to political and spatial change. Gates has described his working method as “critique through collaboration” – often with architects, researchers and performers – to create works that stretch the idea of what we usually understand visual-based practices to be. For his exhibition at Milwaukee Art Museum exhibition in 2010, for example, Gates invited a 250 strong gospel choir into the galleries to sing songs adapted from the inscriptions on pots by the famous 19th century slave and potter 'Dave Drake'. For the 2010 Whitney Biennial, Gates transformed the Whitney’s Sculpture Court with a spare, architectural installation that functioned as a communal gathering space for performances, social engagement, and contemplation. For the duration of the exhibition Gates collaborated with various creative practitioners on a series of 'monastic residencies', holding live events such as the session by Gates' musical ensemble, the Black Monks of Mississippi. In another recent exhibition at Seattle Art Museum, Gates transformed the gallery into an audio archive entitled 'The Listening Room', incorporating a hand-built DJ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Theaster Gates Art

Materials

Concrete

Untitled (flooring)
By Theaster Gates
Located in Palm Desert, CA
A mixed media piece by Theaster Gates. "Untitled (flooring)" a contemporary found object piece, white cement, debris, flooring by American artist Theaster Gates. The artwork is unsigned. Theaster Gates' practice includes sculpture, installation, performance and urban interventions that aim to bridge the gap between art and life. Gates works as an artist, curator, urbanist and facilitator and his projects attempt to instigate the creation of cultural communities by acting as catalysts for social engagement that leads to political and spatial change. Gates has described his working method as “critique through collaboration” – often with architects, researchers and performers – to create works that stretch the idea of what we usually understand visual-based practices to be. For his exhibition at Milwaukee Art Museum exhibition in 2010, for example, Gates invited a 250 strong gospel choir into the galleries to sing songs adapted from the inscriptions on pots by the famous 19th century slave and potter 'Dave Drake'. For the 2010 Whitney Biennial, Gates transformed the Whitney’s Sculpture Court with a spare, architectural installation that functioned as a communal gathering space for performances, social engagement, and contemplation. For the duration of the exhibition Gates collaborated with various creative practitioners on a series of 'monastic residencies', holding live events such as the session by Gates' musical ensemble, the Black Monks of Mississippi. In another recent exhibition at Seattle Art Museum, Gates transformed the gallery into an audio archive entitled 'The Listening Room', incorporating a hand-built DJ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Theaster Gates Art

Materials

Found Objects, Mixed Media

Bitch I Made This Pot by Theaster Gates
By Theaster Gates
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Lithograph, screen print and rubber stamp on Somerset Last one left in the edition of 100, all the rest have sold out. Very rare. Comes with a the original signed certificate. Theas...
Category

2010s Contemporary Theaster Gates Art

Materials

Lithograph

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Previously Available Items
Bitch, I Made This Pot
By Theaster Gates
Located in Kansas City, MO
Theaster Gates Bitch, I Made This Pot Title: Bitch, I Made This Pot Medium: Lithograph, screen print and rubber stamp on Somerset Year: 2013 Dimensions: 23.6 x 31.5 inches Edition o...
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2010s Contemporary Theaster Gates Art

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Rubber, Lithograph, Screen

Bitch I Made This Pot by Theaster Gates
By Theaster Gates
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Lithograph, screen print and rubber stamp on Somerset Last one left in the edition of 100, all the rest have sold out. Very rare. Beautifully framed. Comes with a the original signe...
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2010s Contemporary Theaster Gates Art

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In Event of Race Riot
By Theaster Gates
Located in Palm Desert, CA
In Event of Race Riot (Tall Gray with Flat Hose) and In Event of Race Riot (Tall Gray and Stained Plywood with Flat Hose) wood, glass, and fire hose 55 1/4...
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Untitled- Southside Wall Sculpture (Chicago) by Theaster Gates
By Theaster Gates
Located in Morton Grove, IL
A very rare piece from Mr. Gates' early career. stoneware and glaze signed by artist original Theaster Gates (b. 1973) is a Chicago-based social practice installation artist. Founde...
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21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Theaster Gates Art

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Theaster Gates art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Theaster Gates art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Theaster Gates in cast stone, ceramic, concrete and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Theaster Gates art, so small editions measuring 12 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jane Manus, Norma Minkowitz, and Jenny Pohlman and Sabrina Knowles. Theaster Gates art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $4,500 and tops out at $65,000, while the average work can sell for $65,000.

Artists Similar to Theaster Gates

Questions About Theaster Gates Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Theaster Gates is known for his installation art and large architectural projects like The Dorchester Project. Through his work, the American artist seeks to inspire community involvement and social change. On 1stDibs, shop a collection of Theaster Gates arts.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Theaster Gates is a socially engaged installation artist with a solid foundation as a trained ceramicist. One of his most prominent works, ‘Plantation Lullabies’ used archival collections centered around African American history. Shop a selection of Theaster Gates’ work from some of the world’s top art dealers on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Theaster Gates is an American artist known for being an installation artist with urbanism and social practice influences. Theaster Gate creates art that involves people and communities and is well-known for his big architectural projects. Shop a selection of Theaster Gates art on 1stDibs.

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