About

Click on the icons in this map for links to a selection of Thomas Sayre's sculptures (green), public art projects (blue), and exhibit sites (purple) located across the globe, from Thailand to Tennessee.

Thomas Sayre (b. 1950) is an American sculptor and painter. He designs and builds public art projects and private commissions all over the world. His current work includes large paintings made with tar, smoke, gunshots, welding material, earth, and fire. Sayre is a founding principal of the multi-disciplinary design firm Clearscapes, alongside architect Steve Schuster. The team designs numerous civic, educational, and museum buildings.

Thomas sculpts, paints, and produces commissioned work. His art is housed in collections across the globe from Thailand to Tennessee. He has exhibited his work in a number of private galleries and public museums, including Cheryl Hazan Gallery in Manhattan and the Contemporary Art Museum and the North Carolina Museum of Art, both in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1995, Sayre received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. In 2014, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of fine arts from North Carolina State University. 

Growing up in the shadow of Washington National Cathedral, Thomas’ early art education—and his love and respect of natural materials—came from the stonecutters and the Cathedral. His education continued at St. Albans School, as a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina, and at the University of Michigan and Cranbrook Academy of Art.