Michael Petry (b. 1960, USA), is a multi-media artist, author and Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) London. Currently residing in London, UK, Petry has a bachelor degree from the Rice University in Houston, a master degree from the London Guildhall University, and a Doctor in Arts from Middlesex University. His diverse body of work encompasses sculpture, installation and performance art, often blurring the lines between disciplines. Drawing inspiration from mythology, religion, history and the natural world, Petry`s creations invite viewers to engage with profound existential questions.
Solo exhibitions include In League With Devils, Parsonage Gallery, Searsport, Maine and Church of St Mary the Virgin, New York, USA (2024) and the Henry Luce III Centre for Arts and Religion, Washington DC (2023); In the Realm of the Gods, Holburne Museum, Bath, UK (2018); A Prussian Requiem, Forum Karlin, Prague Czech Republic (2019); In the Realm of the Gods, Holburne Museum, Bath, UK (2017); Lest we forget the Gods, Melissa Morgan Fine Art, Palm Desert, USA (2017); A Twist in Time, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, UK (2017); Libations to Eros, Melissa Morgan Gallery, Palm Dessert, USA (2015- 2016); At the core of the Algorithm, Hiram Butler Gallery, Houston, USA (2015); Libations to Eros, Melissa Morgan Gallery, USA (2015); Eros and Thanatos, Zane Bennett Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, USA (2014); Kali, Mary Wilfred Moffett Gallery, Louisiana Tech University, School of Design, Ruston, USA (2014); The Touch of the Oracle, Palm Springs Art Museum, Palm Springs, USA (2012); Bad Seed, Sir John Soane's Museum, London, Artist in Residence (2011).
Group exhibitions include (Upcoming) Mirror, Mirror, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2024); Nature Morte: contemporary artists reinvigorate the Still-Life tradition, Rowe Art Gallery, University of North Carolina, Charlotte (2022), Guildhall Art Gallery, London (2018), National Museum, Wroclaw, Poland (2017), Reclaiming the Body, VOMA (2021); Contemporary Sculpture Fulmer, Fulmer, UK (2019); The Pool of Narcissus, Joshua Treenial, California, USA (2019); MAP Unit, iBiennale MMXIX, Honolulu (2019) Parallel Lines: Drawing and Sculpture, The Lightbox, Woking, UK (2019), WORKFLOW, Sint-Niklaas Cultural Centre, Belgium (2018), Frontiers Reimagined, Museo di Palazzo Grimani, Official Collateral Event, 56th International Art Exhibition of la Biennale di Venezia (2015), Libations, solo installation, Palacio dos Duques de Cadaval, Alentejo Triennial, Portugal (2014), The Art of Not Making, Ha gamle prestegard, Norway (2013)
Highlights and Collections
Michael Petry is the author of multiple publications, including: In Leage with Devils, Michael Petry, MOCA London and The Dadian Gallery, Washington DC, USA (2023); The WORD is Art, Michael Petry, Thames & Hudson (2021); Marcus Eek: A Journey, Michael Petry, Prestel Publishing Limited (2019); Nature Morte: Contemporary Artists reinvigorate the Still-Life tradition, Michael Petry, Thames & Hudson (2013); The Art of Not Making: The New Artist Artisan Relationship, Thames & Hudson (2011); Golden Rain, Michael Petry, MOCA London (2008); Hidden Histories: 20th Century Same Sex Male Lovers in the Visual Arts, Michael Petry, Artmedia Press (2004); Installation Art in the New Millennium: The Empire of the Senses, Michael Petry, Thames & Hudson, (2003); The Trouble with Michael, Michael Petry, Artmedia Press (2002). His works can be found in the collections of institutions such as: The National Collection (UK), Museum of Arts and Design, New York (USA), Kunst und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Germany), Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (USA) Palm Springs Art Museum (USA), Toledo Museum of Art (USA), British Museum (USA), The New Art Gallery Walsall (UK), The Gallery of Art (Poland), Art Museum of South Texas (USA), Mobile Museum of Art (USA), Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (USA), Rogaland Kunstmuseum (Norway), Leopold Hoesch Museum (Germany), Bellerive Museum (Switzerland).