Michael Petry (born El Paso, Texas, 1960) has lived in London since 1981. He studied at Rice University, Houston (BA), London Guildhall University (MA), and has a Doctor in Arts from Middlesex University. Petry is an internationally exhibited artist, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) London, and Guest Curator for Futurecity.  He co-founded the Museum of Installation, and was Guest Curator at the Kunstakademiet, Oslo, and Research Fellow at the University of Wolverhampton and was Curator of the Royal Academy Schools Gallery. Petry is a Fellow of the Royal British Society of Sculptors (FRBS) and a Brother of the Art Workers Guild. Petry co-authored Installation Art (1994), and Installation in the New Millennium (2003), and authored Abstract Eroticism (1996) and A Thing of Beauty is...(1997). The Trouble with Michael, a monograph of his practice, was published by Art Media Press in 2001.  Petry’s book Hidden Histories: 20th century male same sex lovers in the visual arts (2004) is the first comprehensive survey of its kind, and accompanied the exhibition Hidden Histories he curated for The New Art Gallery Walsall. His two-volume book Golden Rain (2008) accompanied his installation for the On the Edge exhibition for Stavanger 2008, European Capital of Culture. Petry’s new book, The Art of Not Making: The New Artist Artisan Relationship for Thames & Hudson was published in April, 2011.  Petry was the first Artist in Residence at Sir John Soane’s Museum (2010/11) exhibiting two bodies of work, published in Smoke & Mirrors (2011).  He currently has a one man show The Touch of the Oracle at the Palm Springs Art Museum (17 March – 19 August, 2012) with a ten year career review book distributed by Thames & Hudson.

 

UPCOMING

2013

Multiple Exposures, group show at the Museum of Arts & Design, New York

The Art of Not Making, Hå gamle prestegard, Norway

2012

The Art of Not Making, Sumarria Lunn Gallery,  London November 28, 2012 – January 18, 2013

Bad Restoration, Hiram Butler Gallery , Houston August 18 – September  30

Michael Petry: New Works, Zane Bennett Gallery, Santa Fe, October 26 – November  30

One Man Exhibitions

2012

The Touch of the Oracle, Palm Springs Art Museum,

Multiple Exposures, Museum of Arts & Design, New York

2011

Bad Seed, Sir John Soane’s Museum, London, Artist in Residence

2010

Touching the Neoclassical and the Romantic, Sir John Soane’s Museum, London, Artist in Residence

2009

The Revenge of the Florist, Westbrook Gallery, London

The NETWORK, commissioned  installation , The IVY Restaurant, London,

KALI, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston

2007

A New Love, Westbrook Gallery, London

True Love, Muzeum Mierdzi, Legnica, Poland

True Love, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston

Extract, GX Gallery, London

America the Beautiful, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York

In the Garden of Eden, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston

2006

The Treasure of Memory, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston

True Love, Westbrook Gallery, London

2005

The Space Between: Superstring Installation II, Mathematics, Art and Cultural Industry, Cetraro, Italy

The Space Between: Superstring Installation, Art, Complexity & Technology, I.S.I Foundation, Turin, Italy

2004

WAS: white as snow, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston

The Milky Way and other Fairy Tales, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York

2003

The Sound of Breaking Glass, Prowler Project Space, London

2001

Barely Legal, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston

2000

Laughing at Time, Hå gamle prestegard, Norway 

Contagion, Gardner Centre for the Arts, Brighton Festival, BN1 

1999

The History of the World, Rice Art Gallery, Houston

The Fluid Man, Devin Borden Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston

1998

Nothing Changes: London, Pride Arts Festival, Strike Gallery, London

1996

You see what I mean, BN1 Event 3, Fabrica, Brighton,

1994

The Garden of Enlightenment, South London Gallery

The Chemistry of Love III, Kunst und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, Germany

1993

The Chemistry of Love II, Atlantis Gallery, London,

1992

The Chemistry of Love, James Hockey Gallery, Farnham

1991

North, True North: Part 1, Nine Elms Cold Store, London

The Skirting Boards, Gallery Mangisch, Zurich, Switzerland,

1990

Flight From Technology: The Sexuality of the Universe Part 2, Museum of Installation, London

1989

Hollywood Portraits, Zero One Gallery, Los Angeles

1988

International Monument to the Unknown Civilian, Slaughterhouse Gallery, London

More Paperwork, Bellerive Museum, Zurich, Switzerland

Chaos Human Atomica: The Birth of the Parallel Universe, Unit 7 Gallery, London,

Parallel Works, Adam Gallery, London, 1988

1987

Kunster und Schmuckler, Amerika Haus, Gallery Geilsdorfer, Cologne, Germany

This Human Earth, Unit 7 Gallery, London,

1985

The Golden Age, Gallery Geilsdorfer, Gallery Mattar, and Tanzprojekte Koln, Cologne

The Spring Collection, Coracle Press Gallery, London


Group Shows

2011

Sagacity, Forman’s Smokehouse Gallery, London

Meister der Moderne, Handwerkskammer  für München und Oberbayern , Munich

2010

Small Show Hugh Talent, Sotheby’s, London

Es perlt… Handwerkskammer  für München und Oberbayern , Munich

Glasswear, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, USA

LINGAM, Museum Catharijne Convent, Utrecht,  Holland, Place de la Grande Pecherie, Mons, Belgium

Shop, Shop, London

2009

DOGMA, Zagreb, Croatia

Glasswear, Museum of Arts and Design, New York

Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile Alabama

Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester

Art Museum of  South Texas, Corpus Christi

LINGAM, Konstfack, Stockholm

Here and Now, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York

Crime & Punishment – The Sequel, Kortil Gallery, Rijeka, Croatia

2008

ESCAPE, Galerija Meno Nisa, Vilnius, Lithuania 

Sculpture & Touch,  The Courtauld Institute of Art, London

Treasure of Memory in Glasswear,  Glazen Huis Vlaams Centrum voor Hedendaagse Glaskunst,        

Lommel, Belgium

Trans- Atlantic Pride Exhibition,  Clifford Chance Gallery, London

Golden Rain, in On the Edge exhibition,,Stavanger 2008, Ha gamle prestegard, and at the Eigeroya

Lighthouse,

Egersund, Norway,

Four Bits of Scarlet for George the Second, Borders + Identities, Stephen Lawrence Gallery, Greenwich,

London

2007

Treasure of Memory in Glasswear, Toledo Museum of Art

UNBOUND, Contemporary Art Platform, London

Leben Lieben, Rise Gallery, Berlin

Yeehaw!, Vegas Gallery, London

2006

First Sudden Gone the One First Sudden Back, Project 133, London

Next Level, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York

2005

Erotic Pioneers, Antebellum, Hollywood

Natvar Bhavsar, Stan Gregory, Nathan Slate Joseph, Michael Petry, Sohan Qadri, Sundaram Tagore

Gallery, New York

The Binary Tower, “Incantations”, South Presentation Convent, ART Trail, Cork, Ireland

2004

Hidden Histories:20th Century Male Same Sex Lovers in the Visual Arts, (curated by Petry), The New Art Gallery Walsall,

2003

Sex for Sale, “Independence Show”, South London Gallery

The Axis, ‘In the Gloaming’, ArtOMI, Hudson New York, curated by Koan Jeff Baysa

Pearl Paintings, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York

2002

Blood Line: Passage, ‘Lysis’, Pamela Auchincloss Project Space, New York, curated by Koan Jeff Baysa

Zero Carat: Works from the Donna Schneier Collection, American Museum of Craft, New York

2001

Self Portrait 2001, ‘The Difference between you & us’, Five Years, London

Fears, ‘Blackout’ (curated by Petry), Brixton Art Gallery, London

2000

Nothing Changes: Stavanger,‘UTOPIA’, Rogaland Kunstmuseum, Stavanger, Norway

1999

54x54x54, (curated by Petry), Museum of Contemporary Art, London Financial Times Building

1998

TWISTOR, Commissioned for the ‘7th Papier Biennale - Electric Paper’, Leopold Hoesch Museum, Duren, Germany, Twistor won 2nd prize

The Wormhole, ‘Dark Matter’, Turnpike Gallery (Leigh), Angel Row Gallery (Nottingham), and Howard Gardens Gallery (Cardiff)

Nothing Changes: Amsterdam, The Gay Games Art Festival, Vrieshuis and Art Kitchen, Amsterdam

1997

Nothing Changes, ‘Partie 5’, Brandenburgische Kunsttage, Internationales Kunstforum Drewen, Germany

1996

Constellations, Commissioned for Mercedes Benz at the Birmingham Motor show  

The Wormhole, Peterborough Museum of Art, Derby Museum, Wooster Museum of Art

1995

63 foot painting,  ‘Southwark Open’, London

65 inch sculpture, ‘Eigen + ART/Berlin  at The Independent Art Space', London

1994

The Blizzard, Commissioned for the ‘5th Papier Biennale’, Leopold Hoesch Museum, Duren, Germany

1993

Measuring Up, ART LA/93, the Convention Centre, Los Angeles

North - True North: A Question of Scale, 'ACER pseudoplatunus', Sydenham Hill woods, London

The Uncle Mikey Fine Art Game Show,  ‘Venice Biennale’ (Progretto Container), Venice

1991

Elemental Sensuality: The Sexuality of the Universe Part 4,  ‘Excavating the Present’ at Kettles Yard and the Corn Exchange, Cambridge

1990

The Pin-Up, ‘Simulationists Exhibition’, Submarine Gallery, London

1989

International Monument to the Unknown Civilian: PFORZHEIM, ‘ORNAMENTA 1’, Rathaus, Pforzheim, Germany

1988

The Invisible Man, curated by Kate Smith and Kate Love.  Goldsmith's Gallery, London

1986

Three Weeks of the Truth,  ‘1st International Biennale fur Papierkunst’. Leopold Hoesch Museum, Duren,  Germany 

Auto Didactic Painting, Coracle Gallery, London


Books/Texts

2011

The Art of Not Making: the new artist/artisan relationship,  Michael Petry,  Thames & Hudson, London

Hardback ISBN: 978-0-500-23882-0

2010

Gender, Sexuality, and Museums: a Routledge Reader, Amy K. Levin, Ed., Hidden Histories: The Experience of Curating a Male Same Sex Exhibition and the Problems Encountered essay by Petry, Routledge, 322 pages, colour, Paperback ISBN: 978-0-415-55492-3

Silvano Rubino, In equilibrio tra due punti sospesiThe Complexity of Production essay by Petry (text in Italian and English), Damiani, Bologna

Paperback ISBN: 978-88-6208-149-8, 96 pages, full colour

Jungles, Jungle Love essay by Petry (text in German and English), Galerie Maurer, Frankfurt,,32 pages, full colour

2009

The Revenge of the Florist, Michael Petry, Westbrook Gallery, London,

Paperback: ISBN 978-0-9559453-4-2,16 pages, full colour

Anima Mundi, The Waiting Game essay in English and Dutch, Glazen Huis, Lommel, Belgium,

Paperback ISBN: 9789490212001, 56 pages, colour and black and white

2008

Golden Rain Volumes 1& 11, MOCA London and Ha gamle prestegard,

Paperback: ISBN: 978-0-9557699-3-1

Fin Serck-Hanssen: Normalizing Judgement, Teknisk Industri AS, Oslo,

Hard back SBN: 978-82-997894-0-0

Contemporary Glass,  Blackdog Publishing, London,

Paperback ISBN: 978 1 906155 360

2004

Hidden Histories: 20th Century Male Same Sex Lovers in the Visual Arts, Artmedia Press, London,

Paperback ISBN: 1-902889-10-X

2003

Installation Art in the New Millennium, Thames and Hudson, London

Hard back: ISBN 0-500-23808-1

Paper back: ISBN 0-500-28451-2

Installation II l’empire des sens, De Oliveira, Oxley, Petry, Thames and Hudson, Paris,

Paperback ISBN: 782878 112320, 208 pages, full colour

2001

The Trouble with Michael,  Artmedia Press, London,

Paper back: ISBN: 1-90288903-7

1997

Installation l’art en situation, Thames and Hudson, London

Paper back ISBN: 2-87811-119-2

A Thing of Beauty is...., Art and Design,  Academy Editions, London,

Paper back ISBN: 0-471-97684-9

1996

Installation Art, Thames and Hudson (Reprints 1997, 2000), London

Paperback ISBN: 0-500-27828-8

Abstract Eroticism, Art and Design, Academy Editions, London

Paperback ISBN: 1-85490-231-8

1994

Installation Art, Thames and Hudson, London Hard back ISBN: 0-500-23672-0 and Smithsonian, Washington DC,

Hardback ISBN: 1-560-98-347-7



Works in the following Collections

The National Collection, UK                                                                          

Museum of Arts and Design, New York                                                          

Kunst und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, Germany     

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston                                                                      

Toledo Museum of Art, USA                                                                          

British Museum, London                                                                                

The New Art Gallery Walsall, UK                                                                  

The Gallery of Art, Legnica, Poland                       

Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christie, Texas           

Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, Alabama                       

Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, North Carolina  

Rogaland Kunstmuseum, Stavanger, Norway             

Leopold Hoesch Museum, Duren, Germany             

Bellerive Museum, Zurich                                  

Private collections



Performances

2000

Brothers, St Mathew’s Tower, The London Biennale

1997

Flowers, Leopold Hoesch Museum, Duren, Kunst und Austellungshalle Bonn, Gothaer Kunstforum, Koln, Stadt Museum, Mulheim, Zaal de Unie, Rotterdam, Transmedia Video Fest, Berlin,  Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund

1995

An Englishman, an Irishman, and a Frenchman, a performance art opera direction, design and libretto by Petry, Music by Gavin Greenaway and John Powell, Kunst und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, Germany. Sponsors:The British Council, Escada, Pesch,

Uncle Mikey's Lover's Tea, World Tea Party, Media Park, Cologne, Germany

1987

Deceptions, National Review of Live Art, Riverside Studios, London, 3rd Eye Arts Centre, Glasgow, Music: Greenaway/Powell. 

...Turns Modern Figurative Sculpture Out with the Trash, Victoria Miro Gallery London

1986

Potentially Dangerous Scenarios, Commissioned by New Music America, Houston, and Chisenhale Studios, London

1985

The Working Week, Commissioned by the Houston Festival. Interfirst Bank, Square One Gallery, Houston, Music: Mark Fraser

1984

Movements in Jewellery, Electrum and Aspects Galleries, Commissioned by the Goldsmith's Hall, London

1983

Stone Dancing Parts 1 and 2 of 3, Elgin Marbles Room (Duveen Gallery of the Marbles of the Parthenon), British Museum, London

Walking in the Ruins, Royal Academy, Cork Street, London


MICHAEL PETRY