SÈVRES – CITÉ DE LA CÉRAMIQUE: March 9 - June 13, 2016
LA MAISON ROUGE, PARIS: March 9 - June 5, 2016
Cité de la Céramique in Sèvres, La maison rouge in Paris and the Bonnefantenmuseum in Maastricht present CERAMIX, the first international exhibition devoted to the use of ceramics in the twentieth and twenty first centuries. The timing of this exhibition is no coincidence: ceramic is an incredibly popular medium in sculpture right now, largely due to its new and freer uses.
CERAMIX presents a selection of over 250 highlights of ceramic art from international museums and private collections. It’s the first exhibition to focus on the relationship between art and ceramics from the early 20th century to the present. The exhibition is curated by guest curators Camille Morineau and Lucia Pesapane, who have previously worked together on exhibitions of Gerhard Richter, Roy Lichtenstein, Niki de Saint Phalle and elles@centrepompidou.
The use of ceramic as a sculptural medium has really taken off in the 21st century and made an indelible mark on the art world. How can we explain this revival? Where and when did ceramics gain influence in the work of painters and sculptors? In which styles, movements, countries and production centres did this art form originate? These questions form the basis of CERAMIX. The layout of the exhibition is both chronological and thematic. For instance, one of the rooms gives a chronological overview of the use of ceramics in the art history of Europe, the United States and Japan. Other rooms focus on various themes, such as The origin of ceramic sculpture, with works by artists like Rodin and Gauguin, the Otis group from California, with artists like Ken Price and John Mason, Falling vases, breaking plates, with works by Picasso, Ai Weiwei, Anne Wenzel and Edmund de Waal.
Finally, there are a number of monograph rooms that have been created in close cooperation with the artists: Katinka Bock, Johan Creten, Eduardo Chillida & Antoni Tàpies, Leiko Ikemura, Klara Kristalova, Luigi Ontani, Elsa Sahal and Thomas Schütte.
