sculpture Archives - Amy Hirsch

Valeria Nascimento

Valeria Nascimento creates the most beautiful porcelain installations.

A native of Brazil, Valeria Nascimento creates the most beautiful porcelain installations. Her work is inspired by her love of natural forms and how these forms are a part of an urban environment. Valeria’s installations consist of dozens of hand formed ceramic pieces, combined to stretch across walls. Each piece takes months to assemble.

Valeria was originally trained as an architect, an aspect of her perspective that is visible in her use of repeated simple forms and patterns. Her work has been exhibited and commissioned all over the world. She’s also created designs for brands such as Chanel and Tiffany, and well as many interior designers.

I love Valeria’s work because it makes you want to go up close to examine it. The 3D aspect, gradation of a shade, and sometimes a zest of color make her work so powerful. I value the pure dedication to her art — you really can see her love for each individual piece in how it is crafted.

You can see more of Valeria Nascimento’s work on her website.

Peter Gentenaar

Netherlands based artist Peter Gentenaar works with paper to create huge, undulating sculptures.

Netherlands based artist Peter Gentenaar works with paper to create huge, undulating sculptures. These enormous, but delicate, sculptures grew from Peter’s initial work as a printmaker. When working on engravings, he often found that commercial paper wasn’t thick enough for his engravings. He then began to experiment with making his own paper and learned that by using a specific method of beating the pulp, creating sheets with thin ribs of bamboo, and then allowing the pulp to dry, the shrinking of the pulp pulls the bamboo ribs in such a way as to create these rolling, unique sculptures. In developing his artistic process, Peter even built his own equipment to achieve the results he wanted.

I love the free from element to Peter’s work. The pieces remind me of sea creatures; very graceful and eloquent. They have magnificent scale, but are delicate and feminine in a way that is really pretty. The way color is integrated into the sculptures is just striking.

Many of Peter’s sculptures are suspended from the ceiling; others are free standing or hung on a wall. His work can be see all over Europe as well as in Abu Dhabi. You can see more examples of his work on his website.

Stephen Antonson

Stephen Antonson is a true artist, creating beautiful and unique items with plaster at his Brooklyn, NY, atelier.

Stephen Antonson is a true artist, creating beautiful and unique items with plaster at his Brooklyn, NY, atelier. His furnishings, lighting, and accessories are sculpted by hand using a meticulous process that results in objects with an incredible combination of simplicity and elegance.

Shard Table: A piece of sculpture. I would really love to see a longer version.

I’ve seen Antonson’s work in interiors by other designers, and it always catches my eye. It reminds me of Giacometti’s techniques, with the iconic white color reminiscent of John Dickinson’s work in the 1970s. A trained painter and sculptor, Antonson’s Brooklyn studio is a place I would love to see. I am fascinated by the places where people tinker, explore, and create.

I find Antonson’s designs invigorating and innovative. To me, plaster is a peaceful medium and adds a smooth texture to the space. It is completely different medium to add to an interior.

With a medium like plaster, the sky is the limit. I love the idea of taking something you see and like, then adapting it to plaster. Antonson’s lighting designs perfectly exemplify the potential of plaster. They are so clever.

Angele: I love the shape of this fixture.

In addition to his plaster work, Antonson creates art for his home and his family. He authored a book with his wife titled Home from the Hardware Store which demonstrates how to build household goods from common hardware store purchases. You can also see more of Antonson’s plaster work on his website or find him on Facebook.

The Art of the Brick

Artist Nathan Sawaya builds incredible sculptures using Lego bricks.

Artist Nathan Sawaya builds incredible sculptures using Lego bricks. His art has been displayed all over the world, earning him a huge following and well-deserved praise. His current exhibit, called The Art of the Brick, is running at Discovery Times Square in New York City. The exhibit opened in June and will be on display until Jan. 5, 2014. If you have not experienced Sawaya’s art, you still have plenty of time to visit this amazing exhibit.

The Art of the Brick features various aspects of Sawaya’s work. The exhibit covers several rooms, each with a different style and theme. Visitors are first presented with Sawaya’s Lego interpretation of well-known works of art. I really feel that people tend to revert to what they’ve been shown and taught when creating, and this section of the exhibit is a great example of that. Sawaya seems to understand that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just tweak it and do it your own way. His Lego versions of masterpieces present these works of art in a new light while opening the viewers’ minds to new possibilities. Try looking at the mosaic style images from a distance rather than up close. It’s almost magical how much clearer the picture is if you take a step back.

Vermeer's famous Girl with the Pearl Earring done as a Lego mosaic. — Vermeer’s famous Girl with the Pearl Earring done as a Lego mosaic.

Van Gogh's Starry Night — Van Gogh’s Starry Night

Sawaya also recreates significant works from antiquity. It’s difficult to appreciate the scale of these life-sized sculptures unless you can view them in person. The design of the exhibit lets you walk around each sculpture, looking closely from all angles. It’s impossible to avoid wondering how long it took for Sawaya to build each piece or how he is able to recreate his vision with nothing other than the same small plastic bricks you can buy at any toy store. He does not use any custom pieces or colors for his artwork.

Classic Greek sculpture; I really love the vase.

Some of Nathan Sawaya’s most well-known Lego sculptures are his original pieces that illustrate his thoughts on human life and feelings. These sculptures are so pure and lifelike. The engineering that goes into these sculptures is just unbelievable. I love how the lighting around the sculptures is part of the art as well. This area of the exhibit showcases a different aspect of Sawaya’s art.

This sculpture of a woman swimming has fantastic lighting.

I think it’s no surprise that an artist who works with Legos would have a playful side. Many of the pieces show this and make it clear that while Nathan Sawaya takes art seriously, he is also appreciative of the playful roots of his favorite medium. After being impressed, amazed, and made to think by Sawaya’s art, you are made to wonder and smile. Visitors of all ages can enjoy and appreciate this unique exhibit.

A very large T Rex is both fun and impressive.

To learn more about Nathan Sawaya as well as see other examples of his Lego artwork, visit his website. You can also find him on Facebook. For tickets to The Art of the Brick at Discovery Times Square, click here.

Les Lalanne at Les Arts Decoratifs, Paris

I recently came across these images of the Les Lelanne exhibit Les Arts Decoratifs and was entranced.

Les Arts Decoratifs, or the Museum of Decorative Art, in Paris holds more than 350,000 works in its collections. I recently came across these images of the 2010 Les Lelanne exhibit at the museum and was entranced.

Les Lalanne is an artist duo comprised of French artists François-Xavier Lalanne (1927–2008) and Claude Lalanne (b. 1924). The married couple co-created projects, with Francois focusing on animal sculptures and Claude preferring vegetation. Their works have been exhibited in various venues, but I particularly love these exhibits at Les Arts Decoratifs.

The appeal of this exhibit, for me, is the effect of the whimsical animals seeming to wander around in this vast architectural space. Displayed in an area with minimal color, the exhibit produces a visceral reaction.