Clémence van Lunen. Une joyeuse intranquillité

Keramis and the Gerhard Marcks Haus in Bremen (Germany) are collaborating to organise the first retrospective of the Belgian artist Clémence van Lunen.

Born in Brussels in 1959, Clémence van Lunen attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Watermael-Boitsfort from her teenage years onwards. Between 1977 and 1980, she studied at the École supérieure des Arts Le 75, in Michel Smolders' sculpture studio. Inspired by Smolders, she took up ceramics. Between 1980 and 1983, Clémence van Lunen continued her training at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris with sculptors Jean Cardot (1930-2020) and Etienne Martin (1913-1995).

During the 1980s, she mainly sculpted wood while discovering other materials. It was at the dawn of the 2000s that she gradually turned to ceramics, particularly following trips to China. With a monumental porcelain flower, she won the Grand Prix at the Vallauris International Biennial in 2008.

Working in series (Chinese Landscape, Doodle, Cascades, Dragons, Wicked Flowers, Tang Family and Curtains), Clémence van Lunen has continued to renew her work to this day, creating a rich body of sculptural work that is both dense and coherent.

With an “aesthetic of vitality” (F. Bodet) anchored in the material, her approach significantly renews the ceramic sculpture of the 2000s. The artist considers her working method to be a joyful struggle, working with formats that are tailored to her own body. With great humour, she works the clay for its plasticity and puts the resulting forms under tension through a dynamic use of colour.

The exhibition, which brings together nearly 80 sculptures for the first time, is accompanied by an extensive catalogue published by Skira.