Sharif Bey: Homecoming

Commemorating Bey’s return to the city that helped support his development as a master of sculptural potteryThis volume commemorates Pittsburgh-born ceramic artist, sculptor and educator Sharif Bey’s (born 1974) return to his hometown for a momentous exhibition at the Andy Warhol Museum. Bey creates complex sculptures inspired by modernism, functional pottery and Oceanic and African art. Incorporating references to childhood memories of Pittsburgh’s urban landscape, his work offers layered commentary on identity and home, probing the multiple interpretations of each concept. In the book, reproductions of Bey’s monumental ceramics are placed in dialogue with artworks by Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, pulled from the museum’s permanent collection. Altogether, Homecoming celebrates community arts education and highlights, through multiple texts, Pittsburgh's enduring role as a crucible for artistic development—a key factor in Bey’s emergence as a mighty voice in contemporary art.