Keith Sonnier

Keith Sonnier
Born
James Keith Sonnier

(1941-07-31)July 31, 1941
Mamou, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedJuly 18, 2020(2020-07-18) (aged 78)
Southampton, New York, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayette,
Rutgers University
Known forperformance, sculpture
MovementPostminimalism, Process Art
Spouse(s)Jacqueline Winsor (1966–1980, divorce),
Nessia Leonzini Pope (1987–1998, divorce)
Children1
Websitewww.keithsonnier.net

Keith Sonnier (July 31, 1941 – July 18, 2020)[1] was a postminimalist sculptor, performance artist, video and light artist.[2] Sonnier was one of the first artists to use light in sculpture in the 1960s. With his use of neon in combination with ephemeral materials he achieved international recognition. Sonnier was part of the Process Art movement.[1][3][4]

Biography

James Keith Sonnier was born July 31, 1941, in Mamou, Louisiana.[1] His family was Cajun and Roman Catholic. His father was a hardware store owner, Joseph Sonnier, and his mother was a florist and singer, Mae Ledoux.[1][5] His mother sang in a black choir and booked black bands for the town's youth centers, influencing his later work as an assistant to the head of the African Studies section of the Art History department at Rutgers University.[6] Sonnier had two brothers, Barry Ledoux and Charles Sonnier.[7]

He graduated in 1963 from Southwestern Louisiana Institute (now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette).[1] In 1966, he graduated with his MFA degree from Rutgers University, where he studied under Allan Kaprow, Robert Watts, and Robert Morris.[1] After graduation from Rutgers, he moved to New York City with Jackie Winsor and some of his former classmates.[1] Sonnier credits his parents for pushing him to visit France, particularly Normandy and Paris, after he graduated from Southwestern Louisiana Institute.[8] His parents encouraged him to branch out, expand his knowledge and study French, in order to connect with his French background.[9]

At the time of his death he lived in Bridgehampton, New York.[1] Sonnier died in Southampton on July 18, 2020, of MDS (Myelodysplastic syndrome) and complications from it at the age of 78.[1]

Work

Keith Sonnier began his career as a painter, but after working with his mentor Robert Morris in the mid 1960’s, he moved away from painting and used a variety of unique materials.[10] Sonnier started moving towards the use of plastic, synthetic materials, and premade objects.[11] Sonnier began experimenting with neon in 1968; neon lights became a signature material used in his sculptural works.[5] The common materials Sonnier employed included neon and fluorescent lights; reflective materials; aluminum and copper; and glass and wires.[12]

Some of his neon pieces are Lit Square, Dis-Play, Longhorn Study, and Ba-O-Ba.  The Ba O Ba works consist of Sonnier’s works in neon sculpture, beginning in the sixties.[13] The name Ba-O-Ba comes from a Haitian-Creole phrase meaning “bathing in moonlight”.[14] In the early stages, the works were initially focused on the space of architectural interaction between horizontal planes.[15] Sonnier eventually became more involved in large-scale publicly commissioned works, including Lightway, one of his largest installations in 1992, located in the Munich airport.[16] One of his most notable exhibits was “Eccentric Abstraction” at the Fischbach Gallery in Manhattan, curated by Lucy Lippard in 1966.[17]

Personal life

In 1966, he married the sculptor Jackie Winsor, who at the time was a fellow art student from Rutgers University.[1] His marriage to Winsor ended in divorce in 1980.[1] Together they moved to New York City where they lived around renowned artists and musicians.[18]

His second marriage was in 1987 to writer and curator, Nessia Leonzini Pope, ending in divorce by 1998.[1][19] He had one child from his second marriage.[1] Together they had their daughter, Olympia Sonnier.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Kennedy, Randy (2020-07-23). "Keith Sonnier, Playful Sculptor in Neon, Dies at 78". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  2. ^ Sussler, Betsy (April 1, 1982). "Aesthesipol: Keith Sonnier by Betsy Sussler". BOMB Magazine. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  3. ^ Brown, Kate (July 20, 2020). "Sculptor Keith Sonnier, America's Experimental Poet of Light and Neon, Has Died at Age 78". Artnet.
  4. ^ Blagg, Max (May 2012). "Keith Sonnier". Interview. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c King, Elaine A. (April 30, 2019). "Dispatch: Keith Sonnier". Sculpture (magazine).
  6. ^ Sonnier, Keith; Grove, Jeffrey D. (2018). Keith Sonnier - until today. Martin Filler, Parrish Art Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art. Water Mill, New York: Parrish Art Museum. ISBN 978-3-7913-5732-4.
  7. ^ "Mourning Keith Sonnier | The East Hampton Star". www.easthamptonstar.com. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  8. ^ Sonnier, Keith; Grove, Jeffrey D. (2018). Keith Sonnier - until today. Martin Filler, Parrish Art Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art. Water Mill, New York: Parrish Art Museum. ISBN 978-3-7913-5732-4.
  9. ^ Sonnier, Keith; Grove, Jeffrey D. (2018). Keith Sonnier - until today. Martin Filler, Parrish Art Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art. Water Mill, New York: Parrish Art Museum. ISBN 978-3-7913-5732-4.
  10. ^ "Sonnier, Keith", Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Oxford University Press, 2011-10-31, doi:10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.b00172253, retrieved 2025-10-28
  11. ^ "Sonnier, Keith", Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Oxford University Press, 2011-10-31, doi:10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.b00172253, retrieved 2025-10-28
  12. ^ Sussler, Betsy (April 1, 1982). "Aesthesipol: Keith Sonnier by Betsy Sussler". BOMB Magazine. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  13. ^ "Keith Sonnier, Playful Sculptor in Neon, Dies at 78 (Published 2020)". 2020-07-23. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  14. ^ "Keith Sonnier, Playful Sculptor in Neon, Dies at 78 (Published 2020)". 2020-07-23. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  15. ^ Jäger, Joachim (2002). Keith Sonnier: BA-O-BA Berlin. Köln: DuMont. ISBN 978-3-8321-7280-0.
  16. ^ Sonnier, Keith; Abrell, Herbert; Köb, Edelbert (2000). Public commissions in architecture: 1990-1999: öffentliche Auftragsarbeiten = Licht und Architektur. Werkdokumente / Kunsthaus Bregenz, Archiv, Kunst, Architektur. Kunsthaus Bregenz. Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz. ISBN 978-3-7757-0893-7.
  17. ^ "Keith Sonnier, Playful Sculptor in Neon, Dies at 78 (Published 2020)". 2020-07-23. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  18. ^ Yee, Lydia (September 2020). "Keith Sonnier 1941–2020". Art Monthly (439): 25–26 – via ProQuest Central.
  19. ^ "Keith Sonnier in New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018". Ancestry.com. Index to Marriages, New York City Clerk's Office, New York City, New York State. 1987. License Number: 26140
  20. ^ "Keith Sonnier, Playful Sculptor in Neon, Dies at 78 (Published 2020)". 2020-07-23. Retrieved 2025-10-28.


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