Saint Clair Cemin is a Brazilian artist, born in 1951 in Cruz Alta. Since the early 1980s, his sculptural practice has unfolded at the intersection of poetry, philosophy, and formal experimentation. Before turning to art, Cemin studied physics and philosophy—disciplines that continue to inform his work through a deep engagement with abstraction, symbolism, and metaphysics. After studying art in Paris, he moved to New York, where he became part of the postmodern art scene and quickly gained recognition for his experimental approach to sculpture.
Cemin’s work shifts fluidly between figuration and abstraction, drawing from both archaic visual languages and contemporary irony. His sculptures are marked by a wide range of materials—bronze, marble, steel, resin, wood—and an equally expansive approach to form. He combines organic, biomorphic structures with ornamental, often surreal or playful elements. The result is a body of work that oscillates between ancient relics and futuristic objects, between the serious and the whimsical.
At the core of Cemin’s practice is an inquiry into the relationship between form, meaning, and space. His sculptures are often ambiguous and enigmatic—they seem to narrate something, yet resist fixed interpretation. This openness reveals his affinity for philosophy: his works invite quiet contemplation on the nature of the body and the spirit, of material and imagination. Cemin has described sculpture as “a way of thinking in space,” a process that unfolds over time and through perception.
In recent years, his work has increasingly explored themes of mythology, psychology, and existential tension. Yet his approach remains playful and curious: the sculptures retain a sense of levity and accessibility, engaging viewers through a vivid presence and poetic complexity.
Notable solo exhibitions were held at institutions such as Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington (1992), Museum of Contemporary Art, Monterrey (1994) and Instituto Tomie Ohtake, Sao Paulo (2009).
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2025
Saint Clair Cemin, Tobias Mueller Modern Art, Zurich
2024
Ser Hibrido, Galeria Millan, Sao Paulo
Naturaleza Abstracta, Xippas Gallery, Punta del Este
Shifts and Phases, Xippas Gallery, Geneva
2018
Oedipus, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York
2016
Summer Sculpture Exhibition, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York
Psyche, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York
2014
Myth and Math, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York
2013
Espejo Barroco, Centro Atlantico de Arte Contemporaneo, Canary Islands
Saint Clair Cemin on Broadway, Outstanding installation, New York
2012
SIX, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York
2010
Splendeur et Misere, Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris
2009
Da Pureza ao Enigma, Instituto Tomie Ohtake, Sao Paulo
2008
Witness, Sikkema Jenkins, Co., New York
2007
The Beijing Series, Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris
2005
Saluti da Vietri, Galleria Paulo Curti/Annamaria Gambuzzi & Co., Milan
2003
Gian Enzo Sperone Gallery, Rome
Bienal Mercosul, Porto Alegre
2002
Saint Clair Cemin, Cheim & Reid, New York
One New Sculpture by Saint Clair Cemin, Cheim & Read, New York
2001
Resonances: The Sculptures of Saint Clair Cemin, Casa ITESCO-Calvigero Cultural Center, Guadalajara
Resonances: The Sculptures of Saint Clair Cemin, Museum of Modern Art, Mexico City
Secret Victorians: Contemporary Artists and a 19th Century Vision, The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia
2000
Saint Clair Cemin: Sculpture, Lever House Lobby Gallery, New York
Spring Season, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn
Opulent, Cheim & Read, New York
The World Inside the World: Saint Clair Cemin, Abraham David Christian, and Elliott Schwartz, Annina Nosei Galelry, New York
1999
The Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago
Saint Clair Cemin: Bronzes, Velge & Noirhomme, Brussels
1998
Perspectives: Saint Clair Cemin, Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham
Defining Structures, LaSalle Gallery at NationsBank Plaza, Charlotte
1997
Saint Clair Cemin: Sculptures, Centro Cultural Light, Rio de Janeiro
Saint Clair Cemin: Four New Sculptures, Robert Miller Gallery, New York
Premio Marco 1996, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Monterrey
1996
Donald Baechler/Saint Clair Cemin: Painting and Sculpture from the Collection, Fisher Landau Center, Long Island
1994
Escultura de Saint Clair Cemin, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Monterrey
Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris
1993
The 21st Century: Into the Future with Paracelsus (group show), Kunsthalle Basel, Basel
The Grand Design (group show), Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice
Drawing the Line Against Aids (group show), Guggenheim Museum, New York
1992
New Sculpture, Robert Miller Gallery, New York
The Human Condition, Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York
Theoretically Yours (group show), Chiesa di San Lorenzo, Aosta
Group show, Documenta IX, Kassel
X Mostra da Gravura Cidade de Curitaba/Mostra America (group show), Fundacao Cultural de Curiba, Museu da Gravura, Curitiba
Group Show, Fisher Landau Center, Long Island
1991
Saint Clair Cemin, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam
Directions: Saint Clair Cemin, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
Between Intuition & Reason: Saint Clair Cemin/Jonathan Lasker, Grossman Gallery, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The 1991 Benefit Party and Art Auction (group show), The New Mueum of Contemporary Art, New York
1990
Saint Clair Cemin: Recent Sculpture, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris
The Last Decade: American Artists of the 80's (group show), Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York
1989
Horn of Plenty: Sixteen Artists from New York City (group show), Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
American, Italian, and Mexican Art from the Collection of Francesco Pellizzi 1979-1989 (group show), Hofstra University Hempstead
Whitney Museum Biennal (group show), Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
1988
MOCArt Auction'88 (group show), Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Art at the End of the Social (group show), The Fredrik Roos Museum, Malmö
The Binational: American Art of the Late 80's (group show), The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
1987
Similia/Dissimilia: Modes of Abstraction in Painting, Sculpture and Photography Today (group show), Städtische Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf