The “Delfts Labyrinth” Vase has a strong sense of movement and harmony. Babs Haenen has a background in dance and often it seems as if she is choreographing her ceramics into one of a kind shapes and forms. Like many of Haenen’s works, this vase seems to have hardened from a liquid state, which shows off her great skill. The blue and white porcelain is the scene of an expressive play of shadows, cast by the labyrinth-like pattern.

The vase is made of coloured porcelain slabs that the artist manipulates by hand and are coloured with pigment and rolled exquisitely to form thin ribbons, folded in organic shapes. The result is a modern, yet classic appearance.

As the name suggests, the colours are inspired by the iconic Delft Blue ceramics, that originated in the 17th century. The blue is present in various shapes and shades; as saturated surfaces, as a diluted mixture, but also as fine lines on the curvature of the vase’s many forms. This exceptional ceramic work of Babs Haenen is expressive of her skill and artistic expression.

SOLD

Dimensions:

Ø 11.02 in x 12.40 in H

Ø 28 cm x 31.5 cm H

About the designer:

Babs Haenen, was born in Amsterdam in 1948. In 1979, she graduated with Geert Lap, Barbara Nanning and Paulus van Leeuwen at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. During her career, she has taught extensively, won a number of prestigious awards and has undertaken several high-profile, public commissions in The Netherlands.

Haenen creates expressive and impressionistic ceramics inspired by abstract paintings and landscapes of the 15th and 16th centuries. Her colourful and organic porcelain vessels feature dynamic lines and forms. Her work consists of different coloured slabs of clay using a technique known as slab building.

Haenen works with coloured porcelain creating a lot of shapes, patterns, and colours. Her work is in the permanent collections in several museums around the world, such as in the Netherlands, the United States, and Japan. Her expressive and inspired work makes Babs Haenen one of the most important contemporary ceramic artists.

This richly pigmented vase, with its unruly form and angles, seems as if it is ready to burst out of its static form any second. A rhapsody is an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling, and this vase gives a physical form to it.

An equal importance was given to line, colour, and form, resulting in a visually striking but harmonious piece. On closer observation, the vase has several pigments and a beautiful pattern that gives a geological element to the piece.  The Rhapsody in Blue is a standout piece, carrying the unique characteristic of Babs Haenen’s art.

SOLD

Dimensions: 

Ø 9.84 in x 13.19 in H

Ø 25 cm x 33.5 cm H

Exhibition:

En Route Babs Haenen, a solo exhibition of work by Babs Haenen at Taste Contemporary, Geneva 2018.

Literature:

Taste Contemporary: En Route Babs Haenen, 2018, p. 22-23.

Catalogue de l'exposition - Entre eau et ciel: Amsterdam - by 19paulfort, 2019. P. 53.

About the designer:

The world-renowned ceramist, Babs Haenen, was born in Amsterdam in 1948. In 1979 I graduated with Geert Lap, Barbara Nanning and Paulus van Leeuwen at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. During her career, she has taught extensively, won a number of prestigious awards and has undertaken several high-profile public commissions in The Netherlands.
Haenen creates expressive and impressionistic ceramics inspired by abstract paintings and landscapes of the 15th and 16th centuries. She creates colourful and organic porcelain vessels with dynamic lines and forms. Her work consists of different coloured slabs of clay using a technique known as slab building.

Haenen works with coloured porcelain creating a lot of shapes, patterns, and colours. Her work is in the permanent collections in several museums in countries around the world such as in the Netherlands, the United States, and Japan. ~H.