Research Guides: Art on the Davidson College Campus: Featured Sculptors and Artists: Joel Shapiro

About Joel Shapiro

Joel Shapiro (b. 1941) is an American sculptor from New York, NY, best known for his work with bold, geometric forms. Over time, his work has evolved from process art to figuration of various running, falling, crouching, and other movement-based poses.

For more information about Joel Shapiro, please see the following:

Oxford Art Online

Untitled

Shapiro, Joel. Untitled. Bronze. Davidson College. Photograph by Bill Giduz.

Works by Joel Shapiro

Paula Cooper Gallery
Bio, selected works, and exhibitions from Shapiro at the Paula Cooper Gallery in New York.
Kasmin Gallery
Bio, works, and exhibitions from Shapiro at the Kasmin Gallery in New York.
Museum of Modern Art
Selected works and exhibitions by Shapiro at MoMA in New York.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Works by Shapiro from the MET in New York.
Pace Gallery
Bio, exhibitions, and more from Shapiro at the Pace Gallery in New York.
L.A. Louver
Images, exhibitions, videos, and more on Shapiro from the L.A. Louver in Venice, CA.
Berggruen Gallery
Bio, works, and related exhibitions by Shapiro from the Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco.
ARTstor
190 images of Shapiro's sculpture based works.

Articles about Joel Shapiro

Reference to the Breakdown: Joel Shapiro's Sculptures of the 80's
Article on the trajectory of Shapiro's work and style over time by Kenneth Baker in Artforum in 1989.
Joel Shapiro at PaceWildenstein
Review of Shapiro's exhibition at PaceWildenstein by Matthew Guy Nichols in Art in America in 2005.
Joel Shapiro with Phong Bui
Interview with Shapiro on his life and artwork by Phong Bui in The Brooklyn Rail in 2007.
Joel Shapiro
Interview with Shapiro at his studio in Long Island City by Michèle Gerber Klein in BOMB Magazine in 2009 (Davidson versions also available at the library and on JSTOR).
In Suspense: Joel Shapiro at the Nasher Sculpture Center
Article and images on Shapiro's self-titled exhibition at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, TX by Michael Duty in ArtDesk Magazine in 2016.
Artist Joel Shapiro Is Tipping the Scales
Article on Shapiro's artistic style and career by Ryan Steadman in Cultured Magazine in 2016.
Colour, Shape and Motion: Enter the Dynamic World of Joel Shapiro
Interview with Shapiro on his rooftop installation at the Kasmin Sculpture Garden on the High Line in NY, by Osman Can Yerebekan in the Elephant in 2018.

Books about Joel Shapiro

Inside the Studio by Judith Olch Richards (Editor)
Transcripts of audio recordings during the annual "New York Studio Events" by Independent Curators International (ICI) from from March 11, 1985 to April 15, 2003, where artists, including Shapiro, discuss their work with studio visitors (published in 2004).
Why Is That Art? by Terry Barrett
Book that aims to "provide students with a newfound appreciation for contemporary art, scholarship, and reasoned argumentation, giving them the confidence to join the fascinating discourse on contemporary art." Includes a section on Shapiro's work with commentary from art critics and the artist himself, published in 2008.
Joel Shapiro: Sculpture and Drawings
Book on Shapiro's career from the late 1960s through the post-minimalist style of the 70s, to figurative sculptures and large-scale outdoor installations of the 80s (published in 1998).

Exhibition Catalogs from Joel Shapiro

Joel Shapiro: Wood/Painted Wood
Catalog of Shapiro's exhibition from January 18-February 29 at the Van Every/Smith Galleries at Davidson College in 2008 (physical copy available for sale at the galleries).
Joel Shapiro: Selected Drawings, 1968-1990
Catalog of Shapiro's exhibition from April 6-June 2 at the Center for Fine Arts in Miami, FL in 1991.
Joel Shapiro: New Wood and Bronze Sculpture
Catalog of Shapiro's exhibition at PaceWildenstein in New York in 1998.
Joel Shapiro: Painted Wood Sculpture and Drawings
Catalog of Shapiro's exhibition from March 24-April 22 at Pace Gallery in New York in 1995.
Joel Shapiro: Recent Sculpture, PaceWildenstein, May 2-July 31, 2003
Catalog of Shapiro's exhibition at PaceWildenstein in New York in 2003.
Joel Shapiro: Work in Wood, Plaster, and Bronze, 2001-2005
Catalog of Shapiro's exhibition from March 10-April 16 at PaceWildenstein in New York in 2005.

Videos about Joel Shapiro

Joel Shapiro: New Installation video of Shapiro's exhibition at Rice University Art Gallery by Walley Films in 2012.

Vittoria Colonna "Here Shapiro" on Shapiro's first public work installed in England by Assembly in 2012.

The Artist Profile Archive: Joel Shapiro interview with the artist on his career from The Artist Profile Archive in 2020.

Joel Shapiro on his Hong Kong Exhibition studio interview from Pace Gallery in 2023.

Joel Shapiro's "Blue" at the REACH video with the artist on his work "Blue" from The Kennedy Center in 2019.

Joel Shapiro at Dominique Lévy New York video with the artist and his exhibition from Lévy Gorvy in 2017.

Leon Tovar Gallery: Featuring Joel Shapiro "Untitled" video discussing Shapiro's work from Leon Tovar Gallery in 2020.