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: contemporary ceramics

Apr

2025

TOSHIKO TAKAEZU

AVAILABLE FROM COLLECTIONS

Works by Toshiko Takaezu are available for sale, gift, or acquisition from Private Collections. For pricing and availability, please use the inquire form.

INQUIRE / PLACE HOLD

Untitled (026)

Toshiko Takaezu

This piece is available from a private collection. The artwork was made in 2002 by Toshiko Takaezu.

“Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011) was one of the twentieth century’s greatest abstract artists. Gifted with prodigious drive and vision, she combined inspirations from her own cultural background with currents from contemporary painting and sculpture, arriving at a unique expressionist idiom. ”

Read More from the Toshiko Takaezu Foundation.

“Takaezu was a profoundly influential teacher and mentor, who trained generations of younger artists at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Princeton University and other institutions. Her legacy lives on in these students and apprentices, and above all in her own work, which both exemplifies and transcends the ideals of modernist ceramic art.”

— GLENN ADAMSON
Independent Scholar and Curator

Date of Production : 2002
Maker ‏ : ‎ Toshiko Takaezu
Material ‏ : ‎ porcelain, glaze
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 6.5 x 6.5 inches
Provenance: Made in the Artists’ Studio (Toshiko Takaezu) (2002) to a private collection.

DESCRIPTION & DETAILS

Untitled (642)

Toshiko Takaezu

Date of Production : 1998
Maker ‏ : ‎ Toshiko Takaezu
Material ‏ : ‎ porcelain
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 7 inches
Provenance: Made in the Artist’s Studio (Toshiko Takaezu) (1998) to Perimeter Gallery to The Victoria Schonfeld Collection (2000).

DESCRIPTION & DETAILS

Form White Green

Toshiko Takaezu

Date of Production : 1999
Maker ‏ : ‎ Toshiko Takaezu
Material ‏ : ‎ porcelain
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 4.5 inches
Provenance: Made in the Artist’s Studio (Toshiko Takaezu) (1999) to Perimeter Gallery to The Victoria Schonfeld Collection (2000).

DESCRIPTION & DETAILS

Untitled (648)

Toshiko Takaezu

Date of Production : 1998
Maker ‏ : ‎ Toshiko Takaezu
Material ‏ : ‎ porcelain
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 4 inches
Provenance: Made in the Artist’s Studio (Toshiko Takaezu) (1998) to Perimeter Gallery to The Victoria Schonfeld Collection (2000).

DESCRIPTION & DETAILS

VIEW ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS

Apr

2025

KATHY BUTTERLY

AVAILABLE FROM COLLECTIONS

These pieces are available from private collections for sale, gift, or acquisition. The artworks were made by Kathy Butterly.

For pricing and availability, please inquire HERE.

INQUIRE / PLACE HOLD

Soggy Stick

Kathy Butterly

Date of Production : 2001
Maker ‏ : ‎ Kathy Butterly
Material ‏ : ‎ porcelain, earthenware, glaze
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.75 x 3.25 x 2.75 inches
Provenance: Made in the Artists’ Studio (Kathy Butterly) (2007) Franklin Parrasch Gallery to The Victoria Schonfeld Collection (2001).
Condition: Please request condition report. Breakage of tile, material aged, parts retained. Purchase as is. Restoration possible.

DESCRIPTION & DETAILS

More Plenty

Kathy Butterly

Date of Production : 2007
Maker ‏ : ‎ Kathy Butterly
Material ‏ : ‎ porcelain, earthenware, glaze
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 7.5 x 7.75 inches
Provenance: Made in the Artists’ Studio (Kathy Butterly) (2007) to Tibor de Nagy Gallery to The Victoria Schonfeld Collection (2014)
Condition: Please request condition report. Breakage of beads, parts retained. Receive as is, damage is restorable.

DESCRIPTION & DETAILS

Fountain of Youth

Kathy Butterly

Date of Production : 2000
Maker ‏ : ‎ Kathy Butterly
Material ‏ : ‎ clay, glaze
Dimensions ‏ : ‎6.75 x 3 x 2 inches
Provenance: Made in the Artists’ Studio (Kathy Butterly) (2000). Available from a Private Collection

DESCRIPTION & DETAILS

“Kathy Butterly has created distinct, evocative sculptures for more than two decades, contributing to and expanding the tradition of studio ceramics. Through her practice, Butterly engages with concepts ranging from materiality and line to the history of the vessel. She uses traditional ceramic forms as her starting point, referring to these historical templates as her “canvas”; however, Butterly contorts and misshapes these forms in ways that veer toward the iconoclastic. She then adds layer upon layer of glaze – sometimes to the point of creating additional volume – and fires the works repeatedly. The colors and textures Butterly chooses and their relationship with each other are simultaneously seductive and jarring. Her strange forms and surprising palette decisions often generate an uncanny awareness in the viewer and produce a visceral impact.”

VIEW ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS

Apr

2025

ANNE KRAUS

Works by Anne Kraus are available for sale, gift, or acquisition from Private Collections. For pricing and availability, please use the inquire form.

INQUIRE / PLACE HOLD

View Additional Collections

The Book and Other Stories Bread Basket (Shining Leaf)

Inner Basket text (3 figures):
I awake from
a dream in which
I work in a steel mill
in Northern Germany
in the 1880’s

Inner basket (volleyball players):
This entity asks you
what you are
waiting for

Inner bottom (fire):
You give me a book
with pictures of my past lives
but when I try to read it, a fire starts

Side (woods & rifle):
In this dream you are
a sentry and for a moment
you wonder where we buried the love that brought us
all to this planet
to begin with.

Side (deer):
The deer spoke
of another world where
animals and humans
are friends.
But her voice faded
and I wondered
if I had heard
just the wind in the trees

ANNE KRAUS

b. 1956, Short Hills, NJ
d. 2003 Boulder, CO

Anne Kraus is best known for painterly narrative scenes on traditional ceramic forms, usually in a white reserve and incorporating text. Kraus began her art career as a painter living in New York City. The European porcelains from Meissen, Sèvres and R.S. Prussia that she saw at the Metropolitan Museum captured her imagination and influenced her decision to work in clay.

Kraus’ early work was done at her Shining Leaf Pottery in New Jersey. The pieces are built from slip-cast stoneware elements that are combined and recombined in many different ways. Kraus mastered the use of under glaze decoration. The emotional images in her narratives may appear deceptively calm, often drawn from her dream diaries, they frequently present her deeply personal views on political, social and cultural issues. In addition to images, her work typically includes carefully drawn text relating to the images. Toward the end of her career she began making tile paintings.

–Read more on The Marks Project

Feb

2025

RUDY AUTIO

Ferrin Contemporary is pleased to present select works for sale from private collections.
These collections offer an opportunity to acquire important works from surveys of studio sculpture and decorative art.

ARTWORKS
INQUIRE

ARTWORKS

RUDY AUTIO IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

For more information and pricing on available artwork, please inquire

SMILING LADY, 1979

ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS

INQUIRE

Feb

2025

ARTWORKS

ROBERT ARNESON IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

For more information and pricing on available artwork, please inquire

A QUESTION OF MEASURE OR CHECKERED PLATE OR VITRUVIAN MAN, 1978

ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS

INQUIRE

Mar

2023

SERGEI ISUPOV

ON VIEW

Project Art

54 Main Street
Cummington, MA

Rotating installations of new and recent work on view in the Summer Gallery.

ARTWORK

NEW FIGURAL WORKS

Sergei Isupov’s newest series of 2025 will be debuted at District Clay Center this Spring.

MOMENTS FROM ETERNITY: Series of Statuettes

INSTALLATIONS & SERIES

SERGEI ISUPOV: ANCESTOR

2024 – 2025 | Solo Exhibition at Anderson Gallery, Bridgewater State University

Isupov’s ANCESTOR unites the collection of figurative works that show the evolution of ideas in his work. As expressed in the characters he portrays, the sculptures’ eyes and gestures activate relationships that are universal and timeless. Isupov explores narratives from the past as well as the present in multiple pieces, bridging memory and place into displays of his work. Born into a family of Russian artists during the USSR, he spent his childhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, educated in Tallinn, Estonia and now lives and works in Western Massachusetts.

“Regardless of our backgrounds or wherever in the world we came to be, our shared experiences as humans are interwoven and passed on from generation to generation. The exhibition Ancestor allowed me to reflect on these works and my sources of inspiration and motivation … When I think of myself and my works, I’m not sure I create them, perhaps they create me.” – Sergei Isupov

Traditional Family

We Are All from The Sky

Modern Family

Family Chess

FIGURAL SCULPTURE

“Art is a life style for me. Everything that surrounds and excites me is automatically processed and transformed into the final result: an artwork. It is fascinating to watch the transitions from life to art. The essence of my work is not in the medium or the creative process, but the in human beings and their incredible diversity. When I think of myself and my works, I’m not sure I create them, perhaps they create me.

I find ceramic to be the most versatile material and it is well suited to the expression of my ideas. I consider sculpture to be a canvas for my paintings. All plastic, graphic and painting elements of the piece function as complementary parts of the work.

In this series of two-legged figures, Statuettes, the form is classical but the characters are comical. I like the contrast of serious to humorous – the front is cartoon like but the back of each figure features an intimate painting of the being’s spirit.

While each one expresses an individual personality or character, as a group, they become a population, inhabitants of my imaginary world or visitors from my imagination.”

Hidden Messages

Game Changer

Puppeteer

Silver Anniversary

ANDROGYNY

HEADS & BUSTS

The Androgyny series of heads and busts, often with surrealistic features and complex facial expressions, was first presented by Ferrin Gallery in 2008 (Pittsfield, MA Location). The works were exhibited in his groundbreaking solo show at Mesa Contemporary Arts Center (Mesa, AZ) and traveled to the Daum Museum of Art (Sedalia, MO) in 2009. Isupov returns to this scale and series with the most recent work Heritage featured in Alliances (Keene, NH) in 2023, and Ancestor (Bridgewater, MA) in 2024. Select pieces remain in the artist’s archive available for exhibition, public and private collections.

Soul of the Planet

Heritage

2009 | “Androgyny: New Work by Sergei Isupov”, Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO, October 3 – December 6, 2009

2009 | “Androgyny”, Mesa Contemporary Arts Center, Mesa, AZ, April 10 – August 2, 2009

2008 | “Androgyny, The Preview, Solo Exhibition: Sculpture, Painting, Drawing”; Ferrin Gallery, Pittsfield, MA

“My work is about contrasts and relationships. I explore contrasts of human condition with my story lines such as male-female and human-animal relationships, and accompanying emotions of warmth and aggression, love and rejection, and nurture and abandonment. Dynamic and interactive narratives are developed using two and three dimensions at the same time with the sculpted form and painted surface. I use a visual vocabulary and classic tools of design, proportion, perspective and silhouette to both sculpt and paint. Eyes show emotional relationships. Facial and figural gestures develop personalities. Illusionary objects and perspectives suggest motion. As a viewer moves around the work, they see each angle and focus point leading to new chapters and story lines. Combined, these clues tell an overall story.”

Busker

Chosen One

Guardian

Horsepower

Man

Midnight Son

HUMANIMALS

Humanimals, transform anthropomorphic sculptures that explore human relationships by blending the expression and gesture of the combined species.

A sculptural surrealist, Isupov first created works in the Humanimal Series around 2011, with a set of “standing figures” (animal/human hybrids) and “riders” (animal figures on animal/human hybrids)

In 2015 Isupov returned to his iconic form of the Humanimal, a series of standing oversized figurines. New groups and works emerge as the artist delves into the right form for each of his concepts. Close Your Eyes Open Your Eyes, Burden II, Butterfly Catcher, Life’s Work, and Strong hail from multiple eras in the artist’s exploration of the series.

“The animal faces and features represent the beast or natural animal instincts that are often in conflict with reason and intellect.

The hand represents the hand of a human or god – both a comforting support for humanity and a force of opposition or challenge to animal instincts.

The two sculptures explore these ideas of opposing forces of nature and humanity, man and beast, integral and constant throughout life. There is nothing literal intended in the choice of imagery or narrative. The images and expressions are of male/female/animal – symbolic, metaphoric, and intended to provide for individual interpretation. ”

Close Your Eyes, Open Your Eyes

Butterfly Catcher

Burden II

Life’s Work

Strong

Amaco

SERGEI ISUPOV: PAST & PRESENT

2022 | Solo Exhibition at Ferrin Contemporary

Ceramic sculptures are presented with both a multi-dimensional, mixed-media wall installation and independent pedestal-based works. Isupov and Ferrin Contemporary have had exhibitions internationally since 1996. This was the artist’s third solo show in our North Adams gallery location.

Both of Isupov’s 2022 exhibitions include works in porcelain and mixed-media drawings produced at Project Art in Cummington, MA.

Past & Present

Full Moon Addiction

Like An Eternity

Marriage for the Ages

LARGE WORKS, INSTALLATIONS, & TABLEAUS

Challenged by opportunities to expand his scale, Isupov’s recent exhibition Alliances featured a wall relief sculpture using the carved plywood printing plate (left) and the resulting print (right) bringing together ceramic sculpture, assemblage, and printmaking practices to show the full scope of creative versatility and process. Towering larger than life figures and animated life size tableaus anchor his solo exhibitions in galleries and museums.

Lips Eyes Ear Eyebrow

Woodblock & Print | Installation

Directions

Coffee & Milk

On the Way

PUBLIC ARTWORK

MAIN STREET | CUMMINGTON, MA

Fire sculptures, public art, engage the public in community based projects.

Visible from Main Street, Isupov currently has 3 public works on view along Main Street in Cummington, MA and more around the world. Works are visible by car or foot, neighboring other temporary and permanent public works on Main Street as part of the Cummington Cultural District Art Walk.

To learn more about the Cummington Cultural District and other public art sculptures along Main Street: @cummmingtonculturaldistrict

Earth & Fire | Fire Sculptures

MORE ABOUT THE FIRE SCULPTURES

Everything is Upside Down

Miss Comet

Branch Dragon

WORKS ON PAPER | PRINTS

Sergei worked on a series of prints at Littleton Studios in 2000 and produced the limited edition prints shown in the galleries below.

Each Littleton Print is a Vitreograph, Siligraphy print from glass plate, using Digital Transfer techniques.

The printing process varies from edition to edition. The labor involved in the process, the quality of the paper, and the edition size all affect the price of the print.

VIEW MORE WORKS ON PAPER

ABOUT

SERGEI ISUPOV

Sergei Isupov Artist Portrait, 2021, Photo Credit: John Polak

ARCHIVE OF WORKS

SERGEIISUPOV.COM

WORKSHOPS

CV

BIO

ABOUT

Estonian-American, b. 1963 Stavropole, USSR,
lives and works between Cummington, MA, USA and Tallinn, Estonia

Sergei Isupov is an Estonian-American sculptor internationally known for his highly detailed, narrative works. Isupov explores painterly figure-ground relationships, creating surreal sculptures with a complex artistic vocabulary that combines two- and three-dimensional narratives and animal/human hybrids. He works in ceramics using traditional hand-building and sculpting techniques to combine surface and form with narrative painting using colored stains highlighted with clear glaze.

Isupov has a long international resume with work included in numerous collections and exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Australia, Museum Angewandte in Kunst, Germany, and in the US at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Crocker Art Museum, Everson Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Museum of Arts and Design, Museum of Fine Arts–Boston, Museum of Fine Arts–Houston, Mint Museum of Art, and Racine Art Museum. In 2017, his solo exhibition at The Erie Art Museum presented selected works in a 20-year career survey titled Hidden Messages, followed by Surreal Promenade e, another survey solo in 2019 at the Russian Museum of Art in Minnesota.

ON HIS WORK

Often called an erotic Surrealist for his daring representations of sexuality, relationships, and human encounter, Isupov takes narrative subject matter and merges it with ceramic sculptural form. Drawing on personal experience, and human observation, he creates works that integrate autobiography with universal narrative.

He states, “Everything that surrounds and excites me is automatically processed and transformed into…an artwork. […] The essence of my work is not in the medium or the creative process, but in the human beings and their incredible diversity. When I think of myself and my works, I’m not sure I create them, perhaps they create me.”

While the robust, and racially distinct facial traits make each sculpture unique, they also make the body of work capable of representing universal experiences. The bold color palette, heavily tattooed faces, and textured surfaces relate these works to the aesthetics of traditional Russian art, as well as to contemporary styles of illustration.

“My work portrays characters placed in situations that are drawn from my imagination but based on my life experiences. My art works capture a composite of fleeting moments, hand gestures, eye movements that follow and reveal the sentiments expressed. These details are all derived from actual observations but are gathered or collected over my lifetime. Through the drawn images and sculpted forms, I capture faces, body types and use symbolic elements to compose, in the same way as you might create a collage. These ideas drift and migrate throughout my work without direct regard to specific individuals, chronology or geography. Universalism is implied and personal interpretation expected. Through my work I get to report about and explore human encounters, comment on the relationships between man and woman, and eventually their sexual union that leads to the final outcome – the passing on of DNA which is the ultimate collection – a combined set of genes and a new life, represented in the child.”

ANDROGYNY SERIES

HEADS & BUSTS

The Androgyny series of heads and busts, often with surrealistic features and complex facial expressions, was first presented by Ferrin Gallery in 2008 (Pittsfield, MA Location). The works and show traveled to Mesa Contemporary Arts Center (Mesa, AZ) and the Daum Museum of Art (Sedalia, MO) in 2009, and select pieces remain in the artist’s archive for use in contemporary installations as well as available for collections and client acquisitions.

2009 | “Androgyny: New Work by Sergei Isupov”, Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Sedalia, MO, October 3 – December 6, 2009

2009 | “Androgyny”, Mesa Contemporary Arts Center, Mesa, AZ, April 10 – August 2, 2009

2008 | “Androgyny, The Preview, Solo Exhibition: Sculpture, Painting, Drawing”; Ferrin Gallery, Pittsfield, MA

FIGURATIVE WORKS

“Art is a life style for me. Everything that surrounds and excites me is automatically processed and transformed into the final result: an artwork. It is fascinating to watch the transitions from life to art. The essence of my work is not in the medium or the creative process, but the in human beings and their incredible diversity. When I think of myself and my works, I’m not sure I create them, perhaps they create me.

I find ceramic to be the most versatile material and it is well suited to the expression of my ideas. I consider sculpture to be a canvas for my paintings. All plastic, graphic and painting elements of the piece function as complementary parts of the work.

In this series of two-legged figures, Statuettes, the form is classical but the characters are comical. I like the contrast of serious to humorous – the front is cartoon like but the back of each figure features an intimate painting of the being’s spirit.

While each one expresses an individual personality or character, as a group, they become a population, inhabitants of my imaginary world or visitors from my imagination.”

HUMANIMAL SERIES

Humanimals, transform anthropomorphic sculptures that explore human relationships by blending the expression and gesture of the combined species.

“The animal faces and features represent the beast or natural animal instincts that are often in conflict with reason and intellect.

The hand represents the hand of a human or god – both a comforting support for humanity and a force of opposition or challenge to animal instincts.

The two sculptures explore these ideas of opposing forces of nature and humanity, man and beast, integral and constant throughout life. There is nothing literal intended in the choice of imagery or narrative. The images and expressions are of male/female/animal – symbolic, metaphoric, and intended to provide for individual interpretation. ”

EXHIBITIONS

FEATURED & PAST EXHIBITIONS

Sergei Isupov, Moments from Eternity Banner

Sergei Isupov: MOMENTS FROM ETERNITY

2025 | Solo Exhibition at District Clay Center | Washington, DC

April 25 – May 25, 2025

View the exhibition page HERE

“Sergei Isupov: Ancestor”, Exhibition in the Anderson Gallery at Bridgewater State University, November 1 through February 18, 2025

SERGEI ISUPOV: Ancestor

2024 | Solo Exhibition at Anderson Gallery at Bridgewater State University | Bridgewater, MA

November 1 – February 18, 2025

View the exhibition page HERE

Sergei Isupov, “Ancestor”, 2023, oil ink print on paper, 98 x 98″. Photo by John Polak Photography.

ALLIANCES

2024 | Solo Exhibition at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College | Keene, NH

October 25, 2023 – December 9, 2023

Sergei Isupov’s 22nd Solo Exhibition, Featuring artworks from the artist’s archive and new productions from his studio.

View the exhibition page HERE

Installation Title Wall, featuring the artist’s tools and drawings from Sergei Isupov’s “Lips, Eyes, Ears, Eyebrows” and works in progress drawing series. Sculptures include “Crazy”, “Duel” (2006), and “Midnight Son” (2009). Photo by John Polak Photography. “SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances”, Exhibition Installation at Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH, October 25-December 6, 2023.

Sergei Isupov: Past & Present, 2022, Installation View

PAST & PRESENT

2022 Solo Exhibition | Ferrin Contemporary | North Adams, MA

Sergei Isupov: Past & Present, 2022, Installation View

CURRENT + RECENT EXHIBITIONS

Sergei Isupov: MOMENTS FROM ETERNITY

District Clay Center, Washington, DC
April 25 – May 25, 2025

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

Our America/Whose America? Activation at the Wickham House, Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA

Ferrin Contemporary at The Wickham House
The Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA
February 20 – April 21, 2024

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

SERGEI ISUPOV: Ancestor

Anderson Gallery, Bridgewater State University
November 1 – February 24, 2025

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

Our America/Whose America? at Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA

Ferrin Contemporary at The Wickham House
The Valentine Museum, Richmond, VA
February 20 – April 21, 2024

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

SERGEI ISUPOV: Alliances

Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery at Keene State College | Keene, NH
October 25 – December 9, 2023

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

ARE WE THERE YET?

Ferrin Contemporary | North Adams, MA
July 15 – September 2, 2023

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

FIGURING SPACE

The Clay Studio | Philadelphia, PA
January 12, 2023 – April 16, 2023

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

Sergei Isupov: PAST & PRESENT

Ferrin Contemporary, North Adams, MA
May 7 – July 9, 2022

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

NEWS

NEWS & FEATURES

Sergei Isupov in “Sculpture at The Mount”, The Mount, 2025

Sergei Isupov in “Sculpture at The Mount”, The Mount, 2025 ABOUT THE EXHIBITION Sculpture at...

What is New in the World of Contemporary Ceramic Art? October 19, 2024 | 10-11:30am...

SERGEI ISUPOV | Workshop & Demonstration | NOV 8th – 10th, 2024

SERGEI ISUPOV | Workshop & Demonstration November 8th – 10th, 2024 During the 2024 Hilltown 6...

Sergei Isupov & Kadri Pärnamets in CLAYTOPIA Summer Festival | Guldagergaard, Skælskør, Denmark

Sergei Isupov & Kadri Pärnamets in Claytopia is Guldagergaard’s initiative geared towards engaging the public,...

Ferrin Contemporary Presents | SERGEI ISUPOV | The Road to Cummington at Project Art

Sergei Isupov | The Road to Cummington In-person artist talks At Project Art at 54 Main Street during...

ARE WE THERE YET? Featured in the Berkshire Eagle

'Are We There Yet?' celebrates the history and artists of Ferrin Contemporary Berkshire Eagle, Jennifer...

PODCAST: Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Hosted by Ben Carter featuring Sergei Isupov 464:...

Sergei Isupov and family featured in The World

A family of artists expresses how the war in Ukraine impacts their creative work The...

The Clay Studio Presents: Clay & Conversations Online Lectures with Cristina Córdova & Sergei Isupov

The Clay Studio Presents: MARCH & APRIL 2023 VIEW SERIES HERE Online Lectures with Cristina...

Sergei Isupov Interview Featured in the JRA Quarterly Winter 2023

IN CONVERSATION: ARTIST SERGEI ISUPOV ON IMMIGRATION, EDUCATION, AND THE SURREALITY OF EVERYDAY LIFE Interview...

NEW YEAR’S WORKSHOP AT THE CLAY STUDIO: Facial Features with Sergei Isupov

Workshop with Sergei Isupov & Jonathan Christensen Caballero Jan 13-Jan 13 | 1:00 PM-4:00 PMFriday...

OUR AMERICA/WHOSE AMERICA? Featured in the Berkshire Eagle

Artistic Landscape: Turning the lens on mass market ceramics Artists respond to problematic histories, racism...

PUBLICATIONS

Shop Available Catalogs

View Select on ISSUU

Sergei Isupov: Ancestor, 2024 Catalog Cover Page

SERGEI ISUPOV: ANCESTOR Exhibition Catalog

DESCRIPTION

Catalog release: November 7, 2024.
27-page, full-color PDF catalog
Installation Images & Artwork Highlights, Images by Sergei Isupov, John Polak Photography, and Ferrin Contemporary staff.
Copyright© 2024 and published by Ferrin Contemporary, Cummington, MA
Designed by Isabel Twanmo.

Special thanks to Jay Block, associate director of collections and exhibitions at Bridgewater State University.

Sergei Isupov: ALLIANCES Exhibition Catalog

Buy now

SERGEI ISUPOV: ALLIANCES Exhibition Catalog

$5.00

DESCRIPTION

Catalog release: December 1, 2023.
15-page, full-color catalog
Installation Images & Artwork Highlights, All images by John Polak Photography
Exhibition Essay by Leslie Ferrin, Show Statements & Editorial by Ferrin Contemporary
Copyright© 2023 and published by Thorne-Sagendorph Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH
Design by Erica Pritchett.

Special thanks to co-curators, Paul McMullan, professor at Keene State College and Leslie Ferrin, director, Ferrin Contemporary and for editorial support by Alexandra Jelleberg, associate director, Ferrin Contemporary.

Isupov’s artworks form alliances with one another as they move between media, explore scale, and are presented in curated exhibitions. Recent opportunities to create public works like his fire sculpture production and performances, along with solo exhibitions that show the full scope of Isupov’s creative versatility and process, have led to new works on paper, prints and wall installations combining ceramics with other materials.

FREE ON ISSUU

DESCRIPTION:

- Catalog release: November 1, 2022.
- 26-page, full-color catalog
- Installation Images & Artwork Highlights
- Exhibition Release, Show Statements, & Artist Bio-CV

VIEW CATALOG ON ISSUU

VIEW THE EXHIBITION

Sergei Isupov: PAST & PRESENT Exhibition Catalog

Ferrin Contemporary is proud to present new works from internationally renowned sculptor Sergei Isupov. Sergei Isupov: PAST & PRESENT features new ceramic sculptures presented with both a multi-dimensional, mixed-media wall installation and independent pedestal-based works. Isupov and Ferrin Contemporary have been working together and presenting exhibitions internationally since 1996 and this will be the artist’s third solo show in our North Adams gallery location.

Collection Focus: Sergei Isupov at RAM

Buy now

Collection Focus: Sergei Isupov at RAM

$5.00

DESCRIPTION:

Published in 2014 by Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI
Essays and images explore the artist and his place at RAM and in the larger universe of art.
Captured Imagination: The Enigma of Sergei Isupov by Anthony Stellaccio
Collection Focus: Sergei Isupov at RAM by Lena Vigna
A Conversation between Leslie Ferrin and Bruce W. Pepich about Sergei Isupov

28-page, full-color exhibition catalog

SERGEI ISUPOV ALLIANCES, 2023 Exhibition Catalog, cover. Design by Erica Pritchett. Copyright© 2023 and published by Thorne-Sagendorph Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH

SERGEI ISUPOV: ALLIANCES Exhibition Catalog

PURCHASE THE CATALOG HERE SERGEI ISUPOV: ALLIANCES Exhibition Catalog Thorne/Sagendorph Art Gallery Ferrin Contemporary is proud to present new works from internationally renowned sculptor Sergei Isupov. SERGEI ISUPOV: ALLIANCES Isupov's artworks form alliances with one another as they move between media, explore scale, and are presented in curated exhibitions. Recent opportunities to create public worksContinue reading →

The Clay Studio: Figuring Space Exhibition Catalog

Figuring Space Exhibition Catalog The Clay Studio: Figuring Space Publication Date: January 2023. This catalog features highlights on the artists in the exhibition and includes commentary by Jennifer Zwilling, Curator & Director of Artistic Programs at TCS, and Dr. Kelli Morgan, who are working together to make Figuring Space relevant to our audiences and the art historicalContinue reading →

Mastering Sculpture: The Figure in Clay

Mastering Sculpture: The Figure in Clay Explore the human form in-depth, from concept sketches and armatures to detailed instructions for constructing legs, torso, arms, hands, and head from clay. In Mastering Sculpture: The Figure in Clay, renowned sculptor and instructor Cristina Córdova teaches everything you need to know to replicate the full human figure usingContinue reading →

Sergei Isupov: PAST & PRESENT Exhibition Catalog

Sergei Isupov: PAST & PRESENT Exhibition Catalog Ferrin Contemporary is proud to present new works from internationally renowned sculptor Sergei Isupov. Sergei Isupov: PAST & PRESENT features new ceramic sculptures presented with both a multi-dimensional, mixed-media wall installation and independent pedestal-based works. Isupov and Ferrin Contemporary have been working together and presenting exhibitions internationally sinceContinue reading →

About Face: Contemporary Ceramic Scultpure Catalog

About Face: Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture About Face: Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture This catalog features a foreword by Director Angie Dodson and two essays: one by Glenn Adamson, an expert in craft, ceramic, and contemporary art, and one by MMFA Curator of Art Jennifer Jankauskas, Ph.D. The exhibition catalog also includes color photography of select works inContinue reading →

RAM COLLECTION FOCUS: Sergei Isupov

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION February 23 - June 8, 2014 Racine Art Museum, Racine, WI A mid-career retrospective for an innovative artist who has pushed the possibilities of clay by combining two-dimensional narrative with three-dimensional ceramic form. Isupov explores the human condition. His vocabulary includes human beings and animals, gender, identity, and relationship issues, autobiography, artContinue reading →

EXPOSED: Heads, Busts, and Nudes figural ceramic sculpture from 1970 to the present

EXPOSED: Heads, Busts, and Nudes figural ceramic sculpture from 1970 to the present Work by 25 contemporary artists “working in clay and for whom the figure has been a rich and enduring motif.” Catalog includes work from the exhibit at Ferrin Contemporary as well as pieces available from private collections and artist studios. Introduction byContinue reading →

Sergei Isupov: 1996-2006

Sergei Isupov, "Ring of Fire", 2004, porcelain, 20 x 10 x 8". Sergei Isupov: 1996-2006 Published in 2006 by Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA This visual survey marks the tenth anniversary of the working relationship between the artist and Ferrin Gallery. Features works from 1996–2006 with short biographical essay and curriculum vitae. Sergei Isupov Catalog 1996-2006Continue reading →

Sergei Isupov: Androgyny

Sergei Isupov, "Say Nothing", 2008, stoneware, stain, glaze, 33 x 16 x 11". Sergei Isupov: Androgyny Published in 2009 by Mesa Contemporary Arts Center, Mesa AZ • Essay by Sonya Bekkerman, Senior Vice President, Russian Art, Sotheby’s • Introduction by Patty Haberman, Curator, Mesa Contemporary Arts • Project Summary by Leslie Ferrin, Director, Ferrin GalleryContinue reading →

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Additional works may be available to acquire, but not listed here.

If interested in lists of all works and series: Send us a message

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

Nov

2021

RUDOLF STAFFEL

ARTWORKS
INQUIRE

ARTWORKS

ARTWORK

“Untitled Vessel”
1975
porcelain
7.25 x 6.25″

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Jul

2021

ART MACAO: Macao International Art Biennale 2021

PROJECT SANDS X: Beyond the Blue – An Exhibition of Ceramic Extraordinaires

July 15 – October 17, 2021
Macao Museum of Art
Macao, SAR, China

ABOUT THE BIENNALE

A four-month mega international cultural and artistic event, “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021” will be inaugurated on Thursday (15 July), on the 1^st floor of the Macao Museum of Art, presenting a movable feast of the city. On the occasion, the Main Exhibition themed “Advance and Retreat of Globalization” will also be inaugurated, with three exhibitions, distributed through various areas of the Macao Museum of Art, reflecting on the advances and retreats of globalization through the arts.

“Art Macao” will present 30 art exhibitions in 25 locations from July to October, bringing an immersive cultural atmosphere to the entire city as a gallery and an art garden, allowing the public to enjoy the beauty and vividness of art. This edition is curated by Professor Qiu Zhijie, one of the most influential contemporary artists in China and Dean of the School of Experimental Art of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, focusing on contemporary visual arts. “Art Macao” is divided into several sections: Main Exhibition, Special Exhibition of Resorts and Hotels, Creative City Pavilion, Public Art Exhibition, Selected Works by Local Artists and Collateral Exhibition, aiming to reshape the humanistic spirit in the post-epidemic era.

Curated by Qiu Zhijie, the Main Exhibition at the Macao Museum of Art is divided into three parts: “The Dream of Mazu”, “Matteo Ricci’s Labyrinth of Memory” and “Advance and Retreat of Globalization”, providing a space for reflection and discussion on globalization and individuality, life and dreams, remoteness and proximity, security and happiness, among others. The three thematic exhibitions feature over 40 artists from nearly 20 countries and regions, presenting more than 100 pieces/sets of artworks.

The first part of the Main Exhibition “The Dream of Mazu” brings together Ming’s and Qing’s export porcelain transhipped through Macao, the combination of traditional and contemporary creations of azulejo tiles by artists from Portugal, the brand-new blue-and-while porcelain works by artists from China and the Middle East; the second part of the Main Exhibition “Matteo Ricci’s Labyrinth of Memory” describes the Western world’s view of China over 500 years. Both parts of the exhibition are held until 15 August. The third part of the Main Exhibition “Advance and Retreat of Globalization” shows that artists around the world have been continuously working on creation, striving to open a new spiritual path that leads the world from despair, and organizing the ideas about tradition and memory mentioned in the first two chapters. This part of the exhibition is held until 17 October.

Under the patronage of the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture and the Secretariat for Economy and Finance, “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2021” is organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Macao Government Tourism Office, and co-organized by the Education and Youth Development Bureau, Galaxy Entertainment Group, Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited, MGM, Sands China Ltd., SJM RESORTS, LIMITED, Wynn Macau, Limited, and Nam Kwong (Group) Company Limited, with the participation of various creative cities and local higher education institutions, as well as the support of the Municipal Affairs Bureau and Air Macau.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau will strictly follow the relevant guidelines of the Health Bureau and implement appropriate measures for the event. All participants must wear face masks, undergo temperature checks, present a valid “Macao Health Code” of the day, and follow crowd control measures on-site. Admission to all activities is free. More information will be announced later on the respective webpage at www.artmacao.mo, its official Instagram account “artmacao”, “IC Art” page on Facebook, and WeChat account “IC_Art_Macao”.

CLICK FOR MORE

ABOUT SERGEI ISUPOV

Sergei Isupov is an Estonian-American sculptor internationally known for his highly detailed, narrative works. Isupov explores painterly figure-ground relationships, creating surreal sculptures with a complex artistic vocabulary that combines two- and three-dimensional narratives and animal/human hybrids. He works in ceramic using traditional hand building and sculpting techniques to combine surface and form with narrative painting using stains and clear glaze.

“Everything that surrounds and excites me is automatically processed and transformed into an artwork. The essence of my work is not in the medium or the creative process, but in the human beings and their incredible diversity. When I think of myself and my works, I’m not sure I create them, perhaps they create me.”

Isupov has a long international resume with work included in numerous collections and exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Australia, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (TX), Museum of Arts and Design (NY), Racine Art Museum (WI), Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MA), and the Erie Art Museum (PA), at which he presented selected works in a 20-year career survey Hidden Messages in 2017 and Surreal Promenade in 2019 at the Russian Museum of Art (MN).

Video Workshops with Sergei Isupov

Sergei has produced two video workshops available for online viewing or download. This is a wonderful opportunity to watch Sergei at work describing his process.

The first workshop, Sculpture as Canvas, shows the creation of his sculpture “Earth and Sky”, currently on display at the Macao International Art Biennale 2021.

In the second workshop, The Narrative Cup, Sergei demonstrates how to build and decorate a functional narrative vessel. This workshop also includes a PDF of tools and materials.

Please visit the links for more information about purchasing these videos.