Elisabeth Kley: Pattern is a Habit
August 23 - September 29, 2025
Press Release
Elisabeth Kley, Lotus and Water, 2021
Elisabeth Kley, Lotus and Water, 2021

The Drawing Room is pleased to present an exhibition spotlighting New York artist Elisabeth Kley, whose acclaimed practice encompasses ceramics, painting, printmaking and textiles. Introducing selections from her oeuvre of the past decade, the gallery’s first show of her work includes clay sculptures and works on paper, as well as functional objects that transcend the boundary of the decorative arts. A reception for the artist will be held from 4 to 6 pm on Saturday, August 23rd.

 

Kley’s distinctive mark-making across varied bodies of work and mediums is immediately recognizable. Imbued with her bold, yet sensuous touch, geometric and botanical motifs are often juxtaposed within a single object. The layered brushwork of glazes and stains that enhances her bisque-fired terracotta vessels and sculpture is occasionally articulated with spontaneous sgraffito techniques. In a similar vein, her use of ink and watercolor on paper embraces the freedom and fluidity of those mediums.

 

Elisabeth Kley (b. 1956, New York, NY) earned her BA from Empire State College and later studied at Hunter College. Her ceramics, watercolors, drawings, and prints have been widely exhibited over the past 25 years. Recent solo exhibitions were presented at the Currier Museum, Manchester, NH (2024), and The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, PA (2021). Known for ceramic sculptures, vessels, drawings, and site-specific paintings inspired by modernist theater sets and costume designs, Kley also worked as an art writer from 1996 to 2015, publishing reviews and features in ARTnews and Art in America. A monograph on her work was published by Pre-Echo Press in 2019. Earlier in 2025, the artist served as guest curator for White Columns’ 15th Annual Exhibition, Looking Back.

Works