Symbolic Classics: The Work of Karl Momen

Detail of: Hamlet, 1998

Karl Momen (Swedish, b. Iran, 1934) is a painter and sculptor whose works are in public and private collections across the globe. In the U.S., Momen is best known as the creator of the epic 87-foot Metaphor: The Tree of Utah sculpture that is located adjacent to Interstate 80 in the stark Bonneville Salt Flats region of Utah. This monumental sculpture, completed in 1986, is seen by millions of travelers each year.

Momen moved to Germany in the late 1950s and studied art and architecture as part of the Bauhaus movement. In Germany, he worked for both Max Ernst, one of the masters of Surrealism, and Le Corbusier, one of Europe’s foremost architects. Momen moved to Sweden in 1962 and, after establishing himself as a successful architect, began to work full-time as an artist and sculptor in 1977. Since then his work has been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries worldwide. His work continues to be rooted in the visual language of formalism, emphasizing simplistic compositions, color, and symbolism.

It was through his abiding love of the theatre and of classical music that he eventually discovered the sounding board of his true vision. In his Homage to William Shakespeare suite, from the late 1990s, he was able to synthesize his passion for operatic and dramatic literature with his love of the musical equivalent of these forms. It was here that Momen not only discovered a new iconography of formal elements, but he also discovered what he needed to say. His language became more passionate, touched by an ancient reverence for the world of mysticism that transformed stolid forms into universal signifiers for the human condition.

Detail of: Hamlet, 1998

This exhibition will remain on view at SUMA through Saturday, October 5, 2019 in conjunction with Utah Shakespeare Festival.