Continuing our twentieth anniversary year, Galerie Besson presents an exhibition of rare and exciting works by the renowned Spanish artist Claudi Casanovas.

Casanovas is one of the most innovative ceramic artists working today and has exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide. He creates often large-scale sculptures from a variety of clays and media. His pieces are reminiscent of the earth from which they came; their forms and textures evoking rocky landscapes and geological phenomena.

The eleven stunning pieces in this exhibition were made in 1990 in Shitara, Japan at the studio of Ryoji Koie, one of Japan’s most avant-garde ceramists. Although these pieces are instantly recognisable as by Casanovas, they have subtle differences in colour, texture and form that result from the change in environment, materials and the thought-provoking atmosphere of working in Japan.

These pieces form a unique episode in Casanovas’ working life. They were exhibited in Tokyo the year after they were made, and have since been quietly lying in Koie’s store. We were delighted when Koie suggested sending this wonderful body of work to London to be exhibited for the first time outside Japan.

We are especially excited to be able to present these works, as an exhibition of Claudi’s ceramics has been a rarity for some time. His last four years have been occupied by, firstly, the production of a monument against fascism commissioned by the town of Olot. This extraordinary monument made from fifteen tonnes of clay, took two years in the making. Following the completion of the monument, he has taken a much needed break from clay, producing several series of prints. The culmination of which, a triptych of massive etchings is entitled ‘Tree, River, Rock: Etchings of a Landscape’.

An illustrated catalogue is also available. Please email us for prices and further details.