No matter the medium, Harumi Klossowska de Rola has always reveled in seeing the transformation of her sketches—often of fantastical animals—from page to sculpture. Known first as a jewelry designer (her bestiary of creatures includes a gem-encrusted snake crawling up a gold bangle and a pair of dragon earrings set with turquoise, fire opals, and diamonds), the Swiss artist has lately concentrated on large cast works in bronze.
Klossowska at her studio in Rossinière, Switzerland.
Adrian DirandThe evolution in scale was natural, she says: “My jewelry became sculpture—and very hard to wear.” From her studio within the 300-year-old Grand Chalet in Rossinière that her late father, the aristocratic painter known as Balthus, bought in the 1970s (she now lives there with her husband, their two children, and her mother, Setsuko), Klossowska sketches on everything and anything—“aprons, tissues, magazine pages, my kids’ notebooks, it doesn’t matter.” She then creates a small-scale model in wax or Plasticine and eventually translates that into a full-size structure to be cast in the foundry. Afterward, she hand-finishes every piece.
Lakshmi (2022). “The majesty of owls, their eyes, their shape, and elegant proportions are fascinating,” says the artist.
Adrien Dirand
Many of Klossowska’s sculptures, like the cast-bronze Daal (2022), emphasize the relationship between material and negative space.
Adrian DirandAnimals have long been Klossowska’s main subject matter, perhaps unsurprisingly, as she has lived in and traveled to some of the world’s most verdant, phantasmagorical settings, rife with wild creatures. While she cites her Japanese mother’s Shintoism and the accompanying European concept of animism as influences, she says that her inspiration stems more from imaginary ancient civilizations, illustrations, and folkloric tales. (One recent obsession: the 18th-century drawings of Frederick Nodder, created for zoologist George Shaw’s The Naturalist’s Miscellany.)
Despite their haunting presence, Klossowska’s sculptures are not primarily weighted with symbolism, she insists. “I make very strong connections, but exclusively based on nonverbal, personal feelings,” she says, citing her fascination with owls as an example. “Being discreet, quiet, stealthy, and even shy—these are perhaps the traits that I connect with.”
THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN VOLUME 19 OF FREDERIC MAGAZINE. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!
