What types of art do you specialize in?

We specialize in contemporary ceramics from the 1950s onward, including clay and porcelain sculptures.

Do you offer collection services?

Yes, we work with private collectors and artist archives to organize, document, and appraise ceramic art collections for deacquisition or placement.

Can you help with exhibition development?

Absolutely, we collaborate with museums and cultural institutions to develop and present ceramic art exhibitions.

Do you provide touring programs?

Yes, we curate and organize touring exhibitions for contemporary ceramic artists.

What are legacy projects?

Legacy projects include customized services for artists, such as retrospective catalogs, exhibitions, and museum acquisitions.

Project Tag: Artist News

Jan

2022

BOUKE DE VRIES: War & Pieces | North America Tour

W&P | ON VIEW
NAS | PRESS & PUBLICATIONS
W&P | GUIDE
W&P | AT MUSEUMS

BOUKE DE VRIES | WAR & PIECES

Exhibiting Internationally | 2012 – Present

War & Pieces is Bouke de Vries’ contemporary interpretation of the decorative sculptures that adorned 17th- and 18th-century banqueting tables.

War & Pieces is currently traveling North America in its extensive tour, landing at its sixth US location in 2022. The installation has been exhibited at venues in Europe and Asia, beginning in 2012 at the Holburne Museum in Bath, England with support from the Arts Council of Great Britain. At each venue, de Vries works with the curators and the collection by responding to the region and its history and interacting with the interior settings. In some venues, he was able to add to the installation using relevant objects from the collection, as at Charlottenburg Palace, which was looted in the Seven Years’ War and almost completely destroyed in the Second World War, adding a special meaning to this era-spanning work.

Bouke de Vries, “War & Pieces”, Installation View at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD, 2021 – 2022

Ferrin Contemporary, Bouke de Vries, “War & Pieces” 2020-2021, The Frick Pittsburgh, Installation View.

Ferrin Contemporary, Bouke deVries, “War & Pieces” 2019, Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens, Installation View.

Bouke de Vries, “War and Pieces” 2012-23, Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin. photo: ©Charlottenburg Palace

WAR & PIECES

ON VIEW

This spring, the Lightner Museum’s grand ballroom gallery will be transformed by a dramatic ceramic centerpiece created from thousands of fragments of white porcelain.

War & Pieces is an eight-meter (26-foot) installation by Dutch-born artist Bouke de Vries inspired by the sophisticated figural centerpieces that decorated eighteenth-century European rulers’ banqueting tables. Displayed during the dessert course on special occasions, these figures first made of sugar and later increasingly porcelain, told stories or conveyed political messages to the diners.

Bouke de Vries draws on such traditions in his modern centerpiece, arranged around the mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion whose force appears to have turned the entire table into a wasteland. Battle rages across this heap of shards old and new, fought by myriad miniature figures with conventional arms. Jesus on the cross and the Chinese Buddhist goddess of compassion, Guanyin, watch over the death and destruction.

THE LIGHTNER MUSEUM

Saint Augustine, FL | April 1 – December 31, 2022

Bouke de Vries: War & Pieces at The Lightner Museum, Saint Augustine, FL April 1 – December 31, 2022. Installation image courtesy of the Lightner Museum.

WORKS ON VIEW

WAR & PIECES | ON VIEW

At The Lightner Museum

MORE ON BOUKE DE VRIES

VIEW MORE BY BOUKE DE VRIES HERE

Born in Utrecht, The Netherlands, Bouke de Vries studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven and Central St Martin’s, London. After working with John Galliano, Stephen Jones, and Zandra Rhodes, he switched careers and studied ceramics conservation and restoration at West Dean College. He has been a full-time studio artist based in London since 2010.

Bouke de Vries, “War & Pieces”, detail

WAR & PIECES GUIDE

WAR & PIECES | TOUR SCHEDULE

INQUIRE ABOUT TOURING PROGRAM HERE

NORTH AMERICAN LOCATIONS

Lightner Museum | FL | 2022

Washington County Museum of Fine Arts | MD | 2022

The Frick Pittsburgh | PA | 2021

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens | D.C. | 2020

The Wadsworth Atheneum | CT | 2019

Montgomery Fine Arts Museum | AL | 2019

EUROPEAN LOCATIONS

Harley Gallery | UK | 2018

Berrington Hall | UK | 2017

Gemeente Museum | Netherlands | 2015–6

Castle d’Ursel | Belgium | 2015

Chateau de Nyon | Switzerland | 2014–5

Yingge Ceramics Museum | Taiwan | 2014

Charlottenburg Palace | Germany | 2013

Whitespace | Netherlands | 2013

Alnwick Castle | UK | 2013

Charlottenburg Palace | Germany | 2013

The Holburne Museum | UK | 2012

PRESS & PUBLICATIONS

SELECT PRESS

Bouke de Vries Reinterprets Spun-Sugar Centerpieces in a Stunning Show at the Wadswo

In A Staged Tabletop Battle, A Sculpture Of Porcelain, Sugar And Plastic | Jill Kaufman

Sculptor Uses Sugar, Porcelain And Transformers As A Commentary On Warfare | Susan Dunne

EXHIBITION CATALOG

AT MUSEUMS

WAR & PIECES

PAST PROGRAMMING

• Bouke de Vries: Virtual London Studio Tour

EVENT: Bouke de Vries: Virtual London Studio Tour

DATE: Saturday, February 26, 2022 • 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
COST: Free

Ages: Adults to teens
Date/time: Saturday, Feb. 26, 3 to 4 p.m.
Location: Virtual
Description: Internationally known Dutch artist Bouke de Vries will guide us through a virtual tour of his London studio. See his large installation called War & Pieces on display at the WCMFA until March 13.

To register for any classes, call 301-739-5727 or via email at info@wcmfa.org.

Click to View on WMFA

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

WASHINGTON COUNTY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

Hagerstown, MD | Sept 18, 2021 – Mar 13, 2022

Bouke de Vries, “War & Pieces”, Installation View at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD, 2021 – 2022

VIEW MORE

WAR & PIECES

PAST PROGRAMMING

• Explosion in the Green Gallery! Bouke de Vries: War and Pieces Comes to the Frick

“The Frick Art Museum’s Green Gallery now features War and Pieces, an extraordinary artwork by contemporary artist Bouke de Vries (Dutch, b. 1960). The artist assembled thousands of white porcelain fragments to create a 24’ long installation evoking the centuries-old tradition of creating elaborate tablescapes, yet wholly contemporary in its outlook.”

Learn more from The Frick Pittsburgh curator Dawn Reid Brean here.

SPECIAL EVENT: London Studio Tour with Bouke de Vries

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020 AT 5 PM EDT

Presented by The Frick Pittsburgh, this Up-close and personal tour looked inside the London studio of Bouke de Vries, led by the artist himself.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

THE FRICK PITTSBURGH

Pittsburgh, PA | August 8, 2020–September 5, 2021

Ferrin Contemporary, Bouke de Vries, “War & Pieces” 2020-2021, The Frick Pittsburgh, Installation View.

WAR & PIECES

PAST PROGRAMMING

HILLWOOD ESTATE, MUSEUM & GARDENS

Washington, DC | September 24, 2019 – April 5, 2020

Ferrin Contemporary, Bouke deVries, “War & Pieces” 2019, Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens, Installation View.

WAR & PIECES

PAST PROGRAMMING

MONTGOMERY FINE ARTS MUSEUM

Montgomery, AL | February 2–June 2, 2019

Bouke de Vries, “War and Pieces”, 2019, Montgomery Museum of Art

“War and Pieces”, Bouke de Vries, 2019, Montgomery Museum of Art

WAR & PIECES

PAST PROGRAMMING

• Public Programs at The Wadsworth Atheneum

Oct. 4 | Gallery Talk: MATRIX 180: “War and Pieces”
Oct. 10 | Art Talk: Bouke de Vries “War and Pieces”
Nov. 8 | Gallery Talk: MATRIX 180: “War and Pieces”
Jan. 5 | War and Pieces Exclusive Dinner

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

THE WADSWORTH ATHENEUM

Hartford, CT | October 4–January 6, 2019

Bouke de Vries, “War and Pieces”, 2018 Wadsworth Antheneum

Bouke de Vries, “War and Pieces” 2018, Wadsworth Antheneum

Bouke de Vries, “War and Pieces”, 2018 Wadsworth Antheneum

Bouke de Vries, “War and Pieces” 2018, Wadsworth Antheneum.

Bouke de Vries, “War and Pieces” 2018, Wadsworth Antheneum

2018-19 Wadsworth Atheneum Exhibition Brochure

Sep

2019

COOL CLAY: Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Ceramics | Crocker Art Museum

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA

July 21, 2019 — July 21, 2021

From raw textures to meticulous details, to glazes bursting with color, the works in Cool Clay represent one of the most exciting and expansive fields of contemporary art. This exhibition highlights a selection of notable acquisitions that strengthen the Crocker Art Museum’s ceramics holdings in both diversity and scope. These pieces represent the work of influential figures such as Rudy Autio, Jun Kaneko, Tony Marsh, Edwin Scheier, Nancy Selvin, and Akio Takamori, as well as more recent leaders like Peter Olson, Zemer Peled, Brian Rochefort, and Dirk Staschke. Although the artists pursue a great variety of approaches and techniques, each embraces the experimental and playful sensibility this versatile medium engenders. Spanning six decades of studio practice, this exhibition celebrates the ground-breaking achievements of 20th-century ceramists as well as those who today continue to reimagine the possibilities of working in clay.

Read more on the Crocker’s blog, the Oculus, HERE.

Exhibiting Artists:

Anthony Bennett, Claude Conover, Annette Corcoran, Viola Frey, David Gilhooly, Babs Haenen, Matthias Merkel Hess, Anne Hirondelle, Sergei Isupov, Cliff Lee, Ah Leon, Whitney Lowe, Kris Lyons, Calvin Ma, Mineo Mizuno, Steven Montgomery, Peter Olson, Edwin Scheier, Nancy Selvin, Peter Shire, Mara Superior, Akio Takamori, Claudia Tarantino, Cheryl Ann Thomas, Peter VandenBerge,

Learn more about FC Artists:

SERGEI ISUPOV
MARA SUPERIOR

and from the archives:

VIOLA FREY
AKIO TAKAMORI

“Cool Clay: Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Ceramics”, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, July 21, 2019 – July 19, 2020. Image courtesy of the Crocker Art Museum.

Sergei Isupov, ‘Lightness’ 2008, stoneware, stain, glaze, 33 x 18 x 9″. Image courtesy of the Crocker Art Museum.

Sergei Isupov, “Lightness”, 2008, stoneware, stain, glaze, 33 x 18 x 9″.

“Cool Clay: Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Ceramics”, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, July 21, 2019 – July 19, 2020. Image courtesy of the Crocker Art Museum.

Mara Superior, “Fantasia Teapot”, high-fired porcelain, ceramic oxides, underglaze, glaze, faux painting, wood, brass pins, 13.5 x 8.5 x 20″.

“Cool Clay: Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Ceramics”, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, July 21, 2019 – July 19, 2020.Image courtesy of the Crocker Art Museum.

“Cool Clay: Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Ceramics”, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, July 21, 2019 – July 19, 2020. Image courtesy of the Crocker Art Museum.

“Cool Clay: Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Ceramics”, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, July 21, 2019 – July 19, 2020.Image courtesy of the Crocker Art Museum.

“Cool Clay: Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Ceramics”, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, July 21, 2019 – July 19, 2020. Image courtesy of the Crocker Art Museum.

“Cool Clay: Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Ceramics”, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, July 21, 2019 – July 19, 2020.Image courtesy of the Crocker Art Museum.

“Cool Clay: Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Ceramics”, Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA, July 21, 2019 – July 19, 2020. Image courtesy of the Crocker Art Museum.

May

2019

DERIVED FROM THE DECORATIVE: Works by Faig Ahmed, Beth Lipman and Bouke de Vries at Cheekwood Estate and Gardens

DERIVED FROM THE DECORATIVE: by Faig Ahmed, Beth Lipman and Bouke de Vries

February 2, 2019 – June 9, 2019

Cheekwood Estate and Garden, Nashville, Tennessee

In the spring of 2019 Cheekwood will present an exhibition featuring work by Faig Ahmed (Baku, Azerbaijan), Beth Lipman (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), and Bouke de Vries (Utrecht, the Netherlands). The exhibition consists of artists and designers who take cues from decorative arts traditions yet invert the precepts by blurring the space between functional forms and art forms. The exhibition will celebrate the work of a national and international group of artists who look at traditional decorative arts as a point of departure for contemporary creations. The artists in this show challenge the idea of historically informed notions of craft and provide a contemporary entry point into the space between fine and decorative art. Through recognizable visual traditions, the works destabilize perceptions of the familiar. Integrating traditional fabrication methods along with digital contributions, the exhibition will present works that embrace a wide spectrum of time.

Click to view more work by BOUKE DE VRIES.

Click to view more work by BETH LIPMAN

“Derived from the Decorative”, Cheekwood Estates and Gardens, 2019, Nashville, TN

Beth Lipman, “Still Life with Plate of Cheese and Stein” 2011, c-print, face mounted to acrylic, 39 x26″.

Bouke de Vries, "Glass Cloud 2", 2017, 17th and 18th Dutch archaelogical glass fragments, mixed media, 21.5 x 13 x 13"

Beth Lipman, “Lapsed Concession”, 2018, glass, wood, enamel, adhesive, paint, 33 x 30 x 27″

Beth Lipman, ‘Lapsed Concession’ 2018, glass,glass, wood, enamel, adhesive, paint, 33 x 30 x 27″

Beth Lipman, “Vessel with Handles and Bowl of Eggs” 2015, c-print, face mounted to acrylic, 32 x 29″

Bouke de Vries, “Glass Cloud 2″, 2017, 17th and 18th Dutch archaelogical glass fragments, mixed media, 21.5 x 13 x 13”

Bouke de Vries, “Peacock 1″ 2016, twentieth-century Chinese porcelain bird, eighteenth-century Chinese porcelain fragments, mixed media, 24 x 13.5 x 25”.

Bouke de Vries on view at Ferrin Contemporary, 1315 MASS MoCA Way in North Adams, MA

Bouke de Vries, “Memory Vessel de Nyon” 2014, late 18th century Nyon porcelain teapot and mixed media, 13 x 10 x 9″.

Bouke de Vries, “Fragmented Vase 2”, 2 Chinese Song dynasty vases, 18th and 19th century Chinese porcelain and glass. 22.75 x 9.75 x 7.75″

Beth Lipman, “Bottles and Flora” 2015, c-print, face mounted to acrylic, 22 x 31″.

Beth Lipman, “Sticks Pitcher and Chain” 2011, c-print, face mounted to acrylic, 29 x 37″

Oct

2018

PETER PINCUS: Channeling Josiah Wedgwood

November 10–December 29, 2018

Reception and Artist Talk, Saturday, November 10, 5- 7pm

Download Press Release

Ferrin Contemporary presents PETER PINCUS: Channeling Josiah Wedgwood, a creative investigation into the Dwight and Lucille Beeson Wedgwood Collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama.

Peter Pincus will debut a new collection of cast vases for his first solo exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary. Using his dynamic color palette, and innovative use of pattern and form, Pincus interprets the historic Wedgwood Collection, providing a contemporary perspective on these historical and important works.

Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) was one of 18th century England’s most important potters. He not only modernized the ceramics industry, he created a market for English pottery that extended well beyond its borders. Wedgwood was involved in all aspects of civic life, was a staunch abolitionist, and supporter of the American Revolution. He was the first manufacturer to command widespread consumer recognition and loyalty. His is the first brand name to become synonymous with fine taste.

During a 3-day artist residency at the Birmingham Museum of Art, Pincus researched a selection of forms, glazes and ornamentation from the largest Wedgwood collection in the country. Producing 6 new forms, Pincus explored how his distinct relationship to pattern, color and form has been influenced and affected by the legacy of Josiah Wedgwood.

This exhibition is the preliminary exploration of ideas and technical experimentation leading toward a new body of work and future exhibition. Special thanks to Anne Forschler, Chief Curator, The Marguerite Jones Harbert and John M. Harbert III Curator of Decorative Arts, Birmingham Museum of Art, Alabama and Ted Rowland Residency for Ceramic Artists at the Birmingham Museum of Art for making this unique opportunity available.

Click HERE to learn more about Peter Pincus.

Peter Pincus: Colored Veneers and Plaster Prototyping
Demonstration Workshop November 9–11
Slide Presentation Friday, November 9 , 7–8pm

Click for more details and to register.

Both the workshop and presentation are open to the public but space is limited.
RSVP to info@projectart01026.com

Workshop and presentation to be held at:
ProjectArt
54 Main Street
Cummington, MA

Peter Pincus: Channeling Wedgwood at Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA, 2018.Peter Pincus: Channeling Wedgwood at Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA, 2018. (Front) ‘Relieved’, 2018, 17.25 x 9 x 9″, colored porcelain. (back left) ‘Wedgwood Krater Pair’, 2018, 17.25 x 19 x 7″ (each), (Back Center )’Teapots’, 2018, 10.125 x 5 x 5″ (each), colored porcelain. (Right) ‘Calyx Krater: Excerpt from One Shows Two, Two Influence Twenty’, 2018, 12.75 x 10.5 x 10.5″ (each).

Peter Pincus: Channeling Wedgwood at Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA, 2018. (front center) ‘Calyx Krater: Excerpt from One Shows Two, Two Influence Twenty’, 2018, 12.75 x 10.5 x 10.5″ (each). (back left) Wedgwood Krater Pair, 2018, 17.25 x 19 x 7″ (each), (back right )Teapots, 2018, 10.125 x 5 x 5″ (each), colored porcelain. (right) Relieved, 2018, 17.25 x 9 x 9″, colored porcelain.

Peter Pincus: Channeling Wedgwood at Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA, 2018. (Front) Relieved, 2018, 17.25 x 9 x 9″, colored porcelain. (Back Left) The Point of Confusion, 2018, 9.625 x 19 x 3.5″ (total), colored porcelain. (Back Center) Vase, 2018, 15.75 x 8 x 8″, colored porcelain. (Back Right) Calyx Krater: Excerpt from One Shows Two, Two Influence Twenty, 2018, 12.75 x 10.5 x 10.5″ (each).

Peter Pincus: Channeling Wedgwood at Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA, 2018. ‘Calyx Krater: Excerpt from One Shows Two, Two Influence Twenty’, 2018, 12.75 x 10.5 x 10.5″ (each).

Peter Pincus: Channeling Wedgwood at Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA, 2018. (Front) Wedgwood Krater Pair, 2018, 17.25 x 19 x 7″ (each), (back)Teapots, 2018, 10.125 x 5 x 5″ (each), colored porcelain.

Peter Pincus: Channeling Wedgwood at Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA, 2018. (Front and Back Right)’Calyx Krater: Excerpt from One Shows Two, Two Influence Twenty’, 2018, 12.75 x 10.5 x 10.5″ (each). (Center Right) ‘Relieved’, 2018, 17.25 x 9 x 9″, colored porcelain. (Back Left) ‘Wedgwood Krater Pair’, 2018, 17.25 x 19 x 7″ (each), (Back Right)’Teapots’, 2018, 10.125 x 5 x 5″ (each), colored porcelain.

Peter Pincus: Channeling Wedgwood at Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA, 2018. (front right) ‘Relieved’, 2018, 17.25 x 9 x 9″, colored porcelain. (Back Left) ‘Wedgwood Krater Pair’, 2018, 17.25 x 19 x 7″ (each), (Back) ‘Teapots’, 2018, 10.125 x 5 x 5″ (each), colored porcelain.