Theaster Gates Sold at Auction Prices

b. 1973 -

Theaster Gates (born August 28, 1973) is an American social practice installation artist and a professor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Chicago. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he still lives and works. Gates' work has been shown at major museums and galleries internationally and deals with issues of urban planning, religious space, and craft. He is committed to the revitalization of poor neighborhoods through combining urban planning and art practices. He is represented by Richard Gray Gallery in Chicago.

Theaster Gates was born and raised in East Garfield Park on the West Side of Chicago. He was the youngest of nine children and the only son. His father was a roofer and his mother a school teacher. His sisters passed on their interest in civil rights activism and the family attended a Baptist church where Gates, a choir member, became interested in performance. Gates attended Lane Technical High School. In 1996, he graduated from Iowa State University, with a B.S. in Urban Planning and Ceramics. His early art was in pottery, and he spent time studying the art in Japan. He decided he wanted to explore religion in South Africa, and in 1998 he received a M.A. at the University of Cape Town in Fine Arts, and Religious Studies.