Ceramix tells the story of ceramic art from the beginning of the last century to the present day through more than 250 works of art. In the spring of 2016, this exhibition will travel to Paris and Sèvres.
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit the Bonnefante Museum. A great experience. If you haven’t been there yet: grab your chance, it’s a unique exhibition not to be missed.
Ceramic art on the rise
In the Metropolis M it is already called the “ceramic turn“. Ceramics are on the rise in art. Ceramix underlines this trend, but also shows that ceramics have never disappeared as a medium in which many visual artists express their feelings and beliefs.
The exhibition is largely structured chronologically and includes work from various continents. Despite the great geographical distances, the guest curators Morineau and Pesapane have uncovered a progressive path in the art of ceramics.
With works by Rodin, Gauguin and Carriès , you get a push into the 20th century. Via Matisse, Dufy and Bertelli you enter the interwar period. And Miró, Lerat and Picasso welcome the post-war period. Voulkos and his students usher in the ceramic 60s.
After that, the trail becomes more of a busy highway with lots of turns; from Woodman to Ai Weiwei and from Arneson to Schütte and everything in between. All art movements pass by at a dizzying speed.
Missing artists
The curators have chosen many artists who use clay as a secondary medium in addition to paint, bronze or stone. But there is also work by artists who work(ed) (almost) exclusively in clay, such as Lerat, Voulkos, Arneson and de Waal.
Did I miss artists? Well, for example, I didn’t come across works by Lucie Rie, Hamada, and Leach, who I think had a lot of influence on ceramics in the 20th century. But I’ve also seen a lot of artworks by artists I didn’t know yet. Conservarors are hired to make tough choices, so I can’t blame them for not being able to accommodate everyone.
What would I like to take home?
When I walk around in a museum, I can’t help but think about what I would like to bring “into my home”. In Ceramix I have seen many interesting works, beautiful, impressive, humorous or breathtaking. But would I want to take it all home with me?
My criterion here is whether it would continue to fascinate and inspire me; every time you walk past it, you should be able to discover new things.
I enjoyed the “clay performance art”, shown in a movie theater, and I would have taken it with me (as a DVD). I would have put a statue of Voulkos in the trunk without hesitation. Harrison’s porcelain figurines are humorous, but as far as I’m concerned, they don’t stay engaging.
Inspiring
In other words, I certainly wouldn’t have taken everything with me, but it was difficult to say goodbye to a number of works. Fortunately, a voluminous catalogue of this exhibition has been published. If I’m homesick for Ceramix, I can browse through it.
Ceramix is an inspiring journey through the ceramic art of the 20th and 21st centuries, a must for the ceramics lover.
