The National Museum of Ceramics, De Princessehof, in Leeuwarden (Netherlands) presents ceramics as the cultural memory of the 20th century. The exhibition 'The 20th century – mirroring time in ceramics' tells the story of the previous century through approximately 400 ceramic objects, ranging from avant-garde to mass-produced objects. The ceramic objects are complemented by objects from other fine and applied art disciplines, and include furniture, paintings, a jukebox and even an original caravan from 1960. There are also film footage and historical photographs, which locate the ceramic objects in time. The exhibition can be seen from 5 September 2015 until 3 July 2016. Ceramics Museum Princessehof, Grote Kerkstraat 11, 8911 DZ Leeuwarden
Ruth Duckworth (1919 -2009) was a brilliant Modernist sculptor whose work in clay and bronze included monumental sculptures and murals, as well as small-scale pieces.
Born in Hamburg, Germany, Ruth came to Liverpool in 1936 as a refugee from the Nazi regime to join her sister, and to study at the Liverpool School of Art. It was only after the war that she became really fascinated with ceramics and in 1956 she started studying pottery at the Central School of Art and Crafts.
In 1964 she accepted a one-year teaching appointment at the University of Chicago but continued in this faculty post for 13 years and continued living
in the United States until her death in 2009.
Her work over the past five decades has contributed significantly to the development of Modernist style in sculpture, and her work reflects that radical way of working and thinking. Ruth shaped new ways of thinking about ceramics and brought an aesthetic rigour to her refined vessel forms, her figurative sculptures and installations. Most of her sculptures are inspired by the abstracted forms of nature. Many are shaped in stone, porcelain and bronze. Her most celebrated works however, have been in clay.
According to Emmanuel Cooper, a British ceramist and an editor of Ceramic Review, she was "a great original. Pioneering her own path within ceramics,
brilliantly exploring the idea of the figure, the vessel and the more abstract form.”
'Clouds Over Lake Michigan'
Her most famous large-scale work is 'Clouds Over Lake Michigan', a figurative depiction of the Lake Michigan watershed, which is on display at the Chicago Board Options Exchange Building. In the last decade she completed several monumental bronze sculptures for, among others, the campus of the Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. Duckworth's work is represented in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection as well as major collections in the United States, Europe, and Japan.
Excerpts from 'Ruth Duckworth: A Life in Clay', the award winning documentary that traces the life of this prolific ceramic sculptor. Directed by Karen Carter.
It’s pretty much impossible not to enjoy Amsterdam. No other city unites ambiance, history, art and architecture to that extend. This video gives a short impression of the beauty of Amsterdam and looks in at one of Amsterdam's 'gezelligste' art galleries; Galerie Atelier Stam.
Galerie Stam is specialized in contemporary realistic art. Within this specialization they exhibit as broad an example as possible of art from the Netherlands and from a few other countries as well.
But it's not just an art gallery, it's also a studio where various artists work on all sorts of art works. It is always interesting to look over the shoulder of an artist while they're creating a painting or sculpture...
So if you're visiting Amsterdam, enjoy wandering through the streets of the city centre and don't forget to visit the art galleries, which are amongst the best in the world.
