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