Ruth Gurvich

Ceramicist

©NYMPHENBURG

©Ruth Gurvich

When porcelain looks like paper

Ruth approaches porcelain as though it were a still life painting
Her porcelain pieces are created from paper models
The impact of her work on the viewer is what motivates her creative decisions

Ruth Gurvich explores porcelain through the eyes of a painter. Born in Argentina, she first studied architecture before turning to painting and attending the fine arts school in Córdoba and later the National School of Fine Arts in Paris. Her work stems from her early exploration of the codes created by different cultures in their artistic production. From a formal point of view, Ruth's field of investigation is volume and its relationship to space. Out of paper, she reproduces everyday objects such as Chinese and European ceramics. In 2002, after being invited to include her paper creations in a ceramic exhibition in Limoges, she completed two artist residencies which led her to developing her first porcelain collection made from paper models. Ruth's work has since revolved around a precise dialogue with the master artisans of the Nymphenburg manufacture for the creation of her ever more delicate tableware.

Interview

©Ruth Gurvich

©Ruth Gurvich

What first led you to making paper constructions?: I like technical drawings. I started to construct paper maquettes of the object I wanted to paint and then I would flatten it into 2D by drawing it. Later, I realised it is not necessary to flatten the volume created and that the paper model is already a representation of the object.
What inspired you to explore the decorative arts?: I had a real interest in different decorations of vases, whether they were Greek, Asian or South American. These different languages, the exchange of cultures, are what interested me first. I started studying the symbolism in vases and learned to recognise similarities. The production side of applied arts interests me a lot.
How would you define what you do?: It is between art and design. My pieces can be used, but they are not created from a designer's point of view. My vision is aesthetic: it has to do with painting, still life paintings.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?: The history of art, decorative arts, art, all of these are very present in my work. I am especially interested in how things are represented. I do not always have an aesthetic affinity with the motif I paint, but I am interested in them for their iconography, and how they become emblems of different societies.

Ruth Gurvich is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1987