Keith Sonnier (1941–2020) was one of the most influential figures of postminimalist sculpture, known for radically expanding the possibilities of light, material, and spatial experience in contemporary art. Born in Mamou, Louisiana, Sonnier’s early exposure to Cajun culture and the visual landscape of the American South informed his lifelong interest in color, illumination, and the sensory environment. After studying at the University of Southwestern Louisiana, he received his MFA from Rutgers University in 1966, where he intersected with a circle of artists who would reshape the direction of sculpture in the late twentieth century.
Sonnier emerged in the late 1960s as part of a generation that rejected the rigid formalism of Minimalism in favor of process, improvisation, and unconventional materials. His inclusion in landmark exhibitions such as “Eccentric Abstraction” (1966) and “Anti-Illusion: Procedures/Materials” (1969) signaled his arrival as a key innovator. By 1968, Sonnier began incorporating neon into his work—an artistic breakthrough that established him as a pioneer of light-based sculpture. His luminous forms, often paired with glass, rubber, fabric, or found materials, transformed industrial components into poetic gestures that negotiated architecture, color, and space.
Across his five-decade career, Sonnier exhibited internationally, with major solo presentations at the Whitney Museum of American Art, MoMA PS1, the Hirshhorn Museum, the New Museum, the Kunstmuseum Bern, and the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain. His work is held in numerous public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Guggenheim Museum, the Centre Pompidou, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Sonnier’s practice remained deeply engaged with the physical and cultural resonances of light. Whether through the soft glow of neon tubes tracing architectural lines or his sculptural experiments with latex, screening, and found materials, he explored the interplay between technology and touch, industrial precision and human gesture. His late works reconnected with the handcrafted traditions and spatial rhythms of his Louisiana upbringing, underscoring a lifelong dialogue between modernity and primal form.
Keith Sonnier continues to be recognized as a visionary artist whose work redefined the sculptural field, bridging material innovation with intuitive, experiential sensibility.
Recently, Sonnier has been exhibited in the group show 'Big Baby Jesus' at Rudolf Budja THEGALLERY, curated by Tripoli Gallery & Abril Ariztizabal.