Born 1948, Los Angeles, CA

Peter Schlesinger lives and works between Bellport, New York and New York City. He studied painting at the University of California, Los Angeles, before continuing his education at London’s Slade School of Art in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He began making sculpture in New York in the early 1980s. Schlesinger’s work has been exhibited at Mariposa, Paris; Sperone Westwater, New York; Gallery Met, New York; Flag Art Foundation, New York; the Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY; David Lewis Gallery, New York; Paula Cooper Gallery, New York; MoMA PS1, New York; The Clocktower, New York; Tate Liverpool, UK; and the Hayward Gallery, London. His work is held in collections including the Arts Council Collection, London; the Farnsworth Museum, Rockland, ME; Manchester Art Gallery, UK; the Parrish Art Museum; and the UBS Art Collection, New York.

Education

Slade School of Art, London, 1972

Awards

1993 Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Biennial Award

Solo Exhibitions

2024 “Peter Schlesinger: New Sculptures and Photographic Memories,” Sperone Westwater, New York “Peter Schlesinger: The Language of Vessels, Tristan Hoare, London

2023 “Peter Schlesinger: France 1969-1979,” Mariposa, Paris

2022 “Peter Schlesinger: Rocks Waves Clouds: Vessels and Paintings,” David Lewis Gallery, East Hampton, NY “Peter Schlesinger,” David Lewis Gallery, New York

2021 “Peter Schlesinger: Ceramics 1992-2020,” Tristan Hoare Gallery, London “Eight Days in Yemen: A Solo Exhibition of Photographs by Peter Schlesinger,” Marquee Projects, Bellport, NY

2015 Acne Studios, New York (catalogue)

2012 “Peter Schlesinger: Sculpture & Photography,” Duke & Duke Gallery, Los Angeles Jason McCoy Gallery, New York

2004 Jorg Hasenbach Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium

2003 “Photographs from Checkered Past: Visual Diary of the 60’s and 70’s,” Gavin Brown Enterprises, New York

2000 “Summer Sculpture: Peter Schlesinger,” Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY

1997 Edward Thorp Gallery, New York Aero Studio, New York

1995 Charles Cowles Gallery, New York 1993 Charles Cowles Gallery, New York

1991 Tatischeff Gallery, New York

1976 Kinsman Morrison Gallery, London

Selected Group Exhibitions

2025 "Speak, Memory: A Conversation Across Time," Casa Cabana, Venice, IT “Halcyon Days: Peter Schlesinger and Bertozzi & Casoni,” Sperone Westwater, New York,

2024 “I’m Not Afraid of Ghosts,” curated by Svetlana Marich and Sarah McCrory, Palazzo Tiepolo Passi, Venice, IT

2023 “Facing the Bay 1871-2023,” Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society, Bellport, NY

2021 “Cracked,” curated with Leonie Mir, Tristan Hoare Gallery, London “Folds,” curated with Flora Hesketh and Omar Mazhar, Tristan Hoare Gallery, London “I Know Where I’m Going – Who Can I Be Now,” The Modern Institute, Glasgow, UK

2020 “Strangers in Stranger Lands,” Marquee Projects, Bellport, NY

2019 “An Artists’ Place, Exhibition 1,” Marquee Projects, Bellport, NY

2017 “2nd Sneak Peek: Virva Hinnemo & Peter Schlesinger,” curated by Beverly Allan, Marquee Projects, Bellport, NY

2016 “Looking Back: The 10th White Columns Annual,” curated by Matthew Higgs, White Columns, New York

2014 “Imaginary Portraits: Prince Igor,” Gallery Met, New York

2013 “Glam! The Performance of Style,” Tate Liverpool, Liverpool, UK “Ossie Clark: The King of the King’s Road Reigns Again,” Proud Galleries, London “Pop Up,” Paula Cooper Gallery, New York “Something About a Tree,” Flag Art Foundation, New York 2009 “After Image,” Paula Cooper Gallery, New York

2007-08 “Irrational Profusion: Nicole Cherubini, Marc Leuthold, Joyce Robins, and Peter Schlesinger,” MoMA PS1, Long Island City, NY

2006 “Photo London,” Royal Academy of Arts, London “Clay: Four Artists,” Lori Bookstein Fine Art, New York, 10 January – 10 February (catalogue)

1998 “Centennial Exhibition,” Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY

1996 “Model Home,” MoMA PS1, Long Island City, NY, 8 February – 31 March

1994 The Clocktower, New York Jan Weinter Gallery, Kansas City

1993 Charles Cowles Gallery, New York

1989 Tatischeff Gallery, New York

1976 “The Human Clay,” Hayward Gallery, London, 5 – 30 August (catalogue)

1973 The Garage, London

Publications

2020 Schlesinger, Peter. Eight Days in Yemen. Bologna: Damiani, 2020.

2018 Schlesinger, Peter. Disturbia: Gucci Pre-Fall 2018 Collection. London: IDEA, 2018.

2014 Nabokov, Valdimir, trans. Price Igor: Imaginary Portraits. New York: Karma, 2014.

2015 Peter Schlesinger Sculpture. Mölndal, Sweden: Acne Studios, 2015. Peter Schlesinger: A Photographic Memory, 1968-1989. Bologna: Damiani, 2015.

2003 Schlesinger, Peter, and Manolo Blahnik. Checkered Past: A Visual Diary of the 60’s and 70’s. New York: Vendome, 2003.

Selected Bibliography

Morris, Bob, “46 Artists Who Live and Work in the Hamptons,” nymag.com (New York Magazine), 1 July 2025. Lucas, Lucrezia. “Peter Schlesinger | Ceramic Artist.” cabanamagazine.com (Cabana Magazine), April 2025. Farrell, Aimee. “Milan Design Week must: Casa Cabana opens its doors for an extraordinary show.” ft.com (Financial Times), 27 March 2025. Volandes, Stellene. “The Enduring Jewelry Influence of Tina Chow.” www.townandcountrymag.com (Town & Country), 28 February 2025. Jack, Andrew. “Peter Schlesinger: ‘It was drug-ridden back then — but a wonderful place’.” www.ft.com (Financial Times), 10 October 2024. Davidson, Will Brodie. “Lines of Beauty.” Scenery, no. 2, 2024, cover, 10-49. Yerebakan, Osman Can. “Peter Schlesinger’s Hedonistic Photos of Artists in 1970s Paris.” www.anothermag.com (AnOther Magazine), 23 October 2023. Weil, Elinore. “Rencontre avec l’artiste et icône Peter Schlesinger.” www.harpersbazaar.fr (Harper’s Bazaar France), 23 October 2023. Mang, Lolita. “Les clichés de Peter Schlesinger s'exposent à Paris.” www.vogue.fr (Vogue France), 20 October 2023. Molot, Clara. “Peter Schlesinger: France 1969–1979.” airmail.news (Air Mail), 2023. Yerebakan, Osman Can. “Hollow Insides, Bodily Outsides: Peter Schlesinger Tours Us Around His Ceramic Vessels.” www.pinupmagazine.org (Pin-Up), 19 May 2022. Bollen, Christopher. “Peter Schlesinger & Eric Boman.” Town & Country, March 2022, 98, 137. Becker, Morgan. “Peter Schlesinger manifests sculpture’s humanity.” www.documentjournal.com (Document), 25 January 2022. Needham, Alex. “In the Studio With Peter Schlesinger, Creative Legend.” www.wmagazine.com (W), 14 January 2022. Angelos, Ayla. “Peter Schlesinger documents the architecture and culture of Yemen during the 1970s.” www.itsnicethat.com (It’s Nice That), 26 March 2021. Sisley, Dominique. “Peter Schlesinger’s Romantic Snapshots of Yemen in the 1970s.” www.anothermag.com (AnOther Magazine), 23 March 2021. Bollen, Christopher. “Peter Schlesinger Documents a Yemen That No Longer Exists.” www.interviewmagazine.com (Interview), 11 March 2021. Brazilian, Alexa. “Intimate Pictures From a Legendary Photographer.” www.nytimes.com (T Magazine), 2 December 2015. Bengal, Rebecca. “Bohemian Rhapsody: Peter Schlesinger’s A Photographic Memory.” www.vogue.com (Vogue), 29 October 2015. Hawkins, Alexander. “Peter Schlesinger's beautiful bohemian life amongst Hockney, Blahnik and Beaton.” www.itsnicethat.com (It’s Nice That), 17 September 2015. Als, Hilton. “Peter Schlesinger: a world free from responsibility.” www.telegraph.co.uk (The Telegraph), 14 September 2015. Beddie, Alainna Lexie. “Peter Schlesinger Reflects on Some of His Favorite Sculptures.” archive.nytimes.com (T Magazine), 29 April 2015. “Peter Schlesinger: Artistic Angelenos Celebrate At Michael Smith's Duke & Duke Gallery.” www.huffpost.com (HuffPost), 27 January 2012. Clay, four artists: Garth Evans, Bruce Gagnier, Irving Kriesberg, Peter Schlesinger. Exhibition catalogue. New York: Lori Bookstein Fine Art, 2006.

Collections

Arts Council Collection, London Celebrity Cruises Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, MA Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester, UK Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, NY UBS Art Collection, New York Warburg E.M. Pincus & Co., London