BIOGRAPHY

Holton Rower (b. 1962, New York, NY) was born into a bohemian family in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, immersed in art from an early age. Based in New York, he is known for his innovative work across sculpture, installation, assemblage, and painting. Rower’s celebrated “Pour Paintings,” which began in the early 2000s, involve pouring large amounts of paint to create vividly colored compositions.

During the Pandemic, while helping his ceramic artist wife, Maria Robledo, with her clay, Rower became fascinated with the medium and made hundreds of small sculptures, which he fired in his wife’s backyard kiln. Maria needed a new special kiln to achieve the effects she was after for her work, so Rower ordered a large kiln from Holland, which they both now use. This new phase led him to create large-scale clay sculptures, some as tall as eight feet, using so much clay that the manufacturer in Pittsburgh renamed the clay “Holton Clay.” These sculptures push the boundaries of the medium in astonishing ways, playful and otherworldly. They appear both novel and reminiscent of ancient artifacts. Rower’s dynamic visual language, balancing precision and spontaneity, draws viewers into a hypnotic, meditative experience, showcasing his deep love of materials and creative genius.

Recent exhibitions include solos at Arthur Roger Gallery, LA; Cencebaugh Contemporary, NY; Galerie 6, Aarau, Switzerland; Galleria Maeght, Barcelona, Spain and Paris, France; The Hole, NY; and Venus Los Angeles CA. His work was also recently part of the “Tectonic” group exhibition organized by the Moving Museum in Dubai.