Artist
Kathleen RyanAmerican, born 1986
CultureAmerican
Titles
- Bad Lemon (Crystal)
Date2020
MediumQuartz, smoky quartz, rutilated quartz, labradorite, chalcedony, citrine, calcite, prehnite, turquoise, magnesite, tiger eye, gray feldspar, agate, Italian onyx, serpentine, marble, limestone, glass, and steel pins on coated polystyrene
Dimensions16 1/8 × 17 15/16 × 17 11/16 in. (41 × 45.5 × 45 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Bailey and Pete McCarthy
Object number2023.165
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Gallery 314
On view
Explore Further
Department
Modern and Contemporary ArtObject Type
Kathleen Ryan crafts sculptures of decaying fruit that are at once alluring and profoundly disconcerting. Often working months at a time on a single piece, she carefully modulates the placement of each bead, reserving the most precious materials to depict areas of mold and decay. Acknowledging the opulent nature of her sculptures, Ryan has also observed: “There’s an inherent sense of decline built into them, which is also something that’s happening in the world: the economy is inflating, but so is wealth inequality, all at the expense of the environment.”
ProvenanceThe artist; [Karma, Los Angeles]; purchased by MFAH, 2023.
Exhibition HistoryBad Lemon (Crystal) has not been exhibited.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
[none]
[none]
[none]
Catalogue raisonnéN.A.
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
Glenda Arentzen
c. 2000
14k yellow gold, 24k gold, palladium, quartz, and rutilated quartz
2010.2019
Eleanor H. Moty
1990
Sterling silver, 18k and 22k gold, rutilated quartz, and topaz
2002.3975
Eleanor H. Moty
1987
Sterling silver, 18k gold, and tourmalinated quartz crystal
2002.3974