Thomas Shannon

Thomas “Tom” Shannon is an American artist and inventor whose work has explored the relationship between art, science, balance and invisible forces since the 1960s. He first gained attention with sculptures combining mechanical and electronic components with natural elements. The Museum of Modern Art included him in « Maps » in 1977 and subsequently in several MoMA and MoMA PS1 exhibitions between 1978 and 1981.

Gravity, magnetism, suspension and movement became the central principles of his sculpture. Shannon uses magnets, wires and balancing systems to make steel and wooden forms hover and rotate, often evoking planets, stars and atoms. In 1986 the Venice Biennale included him in « Arte e Scienza : Spazio », within the installation « Spazio fisico spazio mentale ».

He also worked with glass at CIRVA in Marseille in 1989–1990 and again in 1992.

Alongside sculpture, Shannon developed paintings and works on paper. His pendulum paintings use gravity directly: a suspended paint dispenser traces controlled trajectories over the canvas. This continuity between physical phenomenon and image also informs his graphic work.

TED notes that his sculpture has been exhibited at institutions including Centre Pompidou, the Stedelijk Museum and MoMA, and that his synchronous world clock is held by the Smithsonian Institution.

His market needs to distinguish magnetic sculpture, painting and works on paper. Christie’s documents, among other works, the 1976 acrylic on paper « Strike This Side (Mudball Series) » and the 1993 magnetic sculpture « Animal ».

The works by Thomas Shannon presented by Swiss Art Gallery extend this artistic journey and take their place naturally within this corpus.