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(Photo: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times)One thing which art history professors and 'serious' art collectors absolutely loathe, is the idea of purchasing art for decorative reasons. Calling the work of an artist 'decorative' is the GREATEST of slights. Art should be valued separately, collected, studied and experienced in a museum-like, white walled, vacuum...? Well, besides being completely sterile, this idea flagrantly ignores 99% of history which proves art is decorative, and meant to be placed in homes and enjoyed.
One contemporary Swedish artist has managed to make both museums and designers happy: Eva Hild. Her ceramic sculptures are most definitely fine art, the smooth white surfaces and seamless loops look gorgeous in both contemporary and traditional settings. They are handmade using the coiling technique, and take months to complete. Her work is found in fine art museums all over the world, and she is consistently asked to do special public commissions (architects adore her as well).
(Public commission in Korea)Thomas Pheasant is one designer who has used Eva Hild's work in his spaces. This room below from Architectural Digest "Betting the House" features Hild's work as a focal point for a spacious foyer/stairwell.
Eva's work manages to bridge the gap between the fine art world and the decorative craft world...what do you think?
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