FIRE!
curated by de Pury de Pury
September 18 - November 1, 2014
Opening: Wednesday, September 17th, 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Venus Over Manhattan
980 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10075
(New York, NY) – Venus Over Manhattan is pleased to present FIRE!, an exhibition of contemporary ceramics curated by de Pury de Pury. Displayed upon custom shelves designed by de Pury de Pury, the show features new and recent works by artists Flavie Audi, Jean Baptiste Bernadet, Cameron Jamie, Friedrich Kunath, Shio Kusaka, Young-Jae Lee, Andrew Lord, John Mason, Dan McCarthy, Mårten Medbo, Ritsue Mishima, Sterling Ruby, Thomas Schütte, Josh Smith, Rosemarie Trockel and Ai Weiwei. FIRE! will be on view from September 18th through October 23rd, 2014 and is the first independent curatorial project from de Pury de Pury, a company headed by Simon De Pury and his wife Dr. Michaela de Pury.
The seventeen artists chosen for FIRE! represent a mix of veteran ceramicists, established sculptors, and emerging multidisciplinary artists. Each actively engages with the materiality of clay, glass and resin, and the process of the kiln, working with a wide range of techniques and incorporating distinct conceptual aims. Together, the works present a dynamic and diverse picture of how artists are working in ceramics today. Flavie Audi’s ethereal glass forms; Cameron Jamie’s gestural, amorphous mounds; Friedrich Kunath’s playful and seductive colorful seals; Shio Kusaka refined yet expressive pottery; Young-Jae Lee’s elegantly minimal urns; Andrew Lord’s roughly hewn and haunting sculptures; John Mason’s symmetrical, totemic sculptures; Dan McCarthy’s playful painted “Face Pots”; Mårten Medbo’s idiosyncratic and outlandish forms; Ritsue Mishima’s luminous clear glass vessels; Sterling Ruby’s tactile, crudely modeled sandal; Thomas Schütte’s utilitarian vase models; Josh Smith’s rough and irreverent small figures; Rosemarie Trockel’s abstracted and magnanimous colorful molds; Ai Wei Wei’s transformed ceramic ready-mades. The exhibition underlines ceramics place as an invaluable and inimitable medium in contemporary art, exposing the craft as transformative and intimately human, at once humble and uniquely expressive.
With their curation of FIRE!, de Pury de Pury continue their longstanding commitment to elevating the perception and value of ceramics and design. Phillips de Pury & Company, where Simon de Pury served as Chairman and Chief Auctioneer until his departure in January 2013, was the first to mix contemporary art with design. By integrating works by top contemporary designers and ceramicists into the contemporary art sales, de Pury begin to break down many of the boundaries between the so called fine arts and applied arts.
Over the last 10 years the overlap between collectors of contemporary art and those of design has vastly increased, design fairs have been scheduled to coincide with main contemporary art fairs, ceramics works have sold for record prices at auction, and major galleries have begun to represent top designers and ceramic artists.
ABOUT SIMON DE PURY
Simon de Pury is one of the leading figures in the art market. From 2000 to 2012 he was Chairman and Chief Auctioneer of Phillips de Pury & Company. Earlier in his career he was Chairman Europe and Chief Auctioneer Worldwide at Sotheby’s. He was also curator of the Thyssen–Bornemisza Collection that today is housed in it’s own museum in Madrid. Simon has been instrumental in championing the careers of many contemporary artists, photographers and designers. He has auctioned and secured a substantial number of the most legendary art collections for auctions and private treaty. At the beginning of 2013 Simon founded together with his wife Michaela, DE PURY DE PURY, a company specializing in private transactions of Impressionist, Modern, Post War and Contemporary Art.
For further information about the exhibition and availability, please contact the gallery at info@venusovermanhattan.com
For all press inquiries related to the exhibition, please email press@venusovermanhattan.com
Twenty-five things to see, hear, watch, and read.
“Fire!” is an ebullient if overly familiar survey of sculptures and vessels in glazed ceramics and sometimes glass that has been organized by Michaela de Pury and her husband, Simon de Pury, the former chairman and chief auctioneer of Phillips de Pury & Company. It has dazzling variety: function, nonfunction, abstract representation, all kinds of color and also transparency.
Take a peek into the life of auctioneer, collector, and artnet News columnist Simon de Pury. Via his Instagram, he will be sharing a bit of glamour and a bit of excitement with us—whether he’s trotting the globe or on the scene closer to home.
Venus Over Manhattan opens a group show of contemporary ceramics called "FIRE!" on Wednesday, September 17, 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibition was curated by de Pury de Pury -- aka Simon de Pury and his wife Michaela -- and includes works by Ai Weiwei, Sterling Ruby, Rosemarie Trockel, Takuro Kuwata and more.
Down the hall, at Venus Over Manhattan Gallery, there’s a group show curated by Mr. de Pury, this one called “Fire!,” named such because each piece is kiln-made or glass-blown—believe it or not, it’s a ceramics show. So he’s got the whole floor.
A year and a half after stepping down as the head of Phillips, Simon de Pury has curated a ceramics show alongside his wife Michaela
Simon de Pury curates a show of ceramics at the ever hot Venus Over Manhattan. An art world crucible if there ever was one.
After auctioneer Simon de Pury resigned in 2012 as the chairman of Phillips de Pury & Company, he moved into brokering private art deals—a very discreet business. But on September 18 the charming macher will be back in the spotlight, with “Fire!,” an exhibition he curated at Venus Over Manhattan, Adam Lindemann’s New York gallery.
Art dealer and auctioneer Simon de Pury is making his first foray into the art world since his departure from Phillips de Pury & Company in early 2013. Under the name de Pury de Pury, Simon and his wife Michaela have curated an exhibition of ceramic and glass works entitled FIRE!, at New York’s Venus Over Manhattan gallery.
“Fire!” Curated by de Pury de Pury at Venus Over Manhattan
Simon de Pury makes his art-world comeback with a sensational ceramics show.
