Charles Ray  (American, 1953) 

Sculptor Charles Ray (American, b.1953) is known for his diverse body of work, including pieces in which he involves his own body in performative sculptures, figural sculptures, and pieces which adhere to a Minimalist aesthetic. Born in Chicago, Ray studied sculpture at the University of Iowa and at Rutgers University. In early performance-based works, he began to insert his own body into his pieces, such as one sculpture in which Ray pinned himself between planks balanced against a wall. His later works frequently reflect the reduced geometric forms of Minimalist art, but other pieces also include life-size fiberglass figures and monumental wood carvings. Ray has held solo exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Institute of Contemporary Art in London, the Kunsthalle Bern in Switzerland, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. He has also been awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, among others. Ray currently teaches at the University of California in Los Angeles, and lives and works in the city.