Lop Nor series, 2017/18
Haenen in her studio, Amsterdam
Babs Haenen (Dutch, b. 1948) is a ceramic artist living and working in Amsterdam. Haenen’s expressive sculptures in colored porcelain are informed by twentieth century abstract painting as well as elements from the natural world. Her richly pigmented painterly compositions on slabs of porcelain are alive with movement, granting equal importance to color, line, and form. Each composition is constructed from pieces of clay which are cut, folded, and stacked into three-dimensional forms. The resulting sculptures often resemble vessels or mountain peaks, rippling as though caught by eddies of water or carved by natural forces; they are always imbued with a turbulent, dynamic complexity.
Haenen first worked as a dancer before studying visual art at the Gerrit Rietvield Academy in Amsterdam. In 1987, Haenen was the recipient of an award from the Netherlands Foundation for Visual Arts, Design, and Architecture (Fonds BKVB). She also received the 1991 INAX Design Prize for Europeans. Her work is in the permanent collection of many museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Stedelijk Museum, Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
BABS HAENEN
b. 1948, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
EDUCATION
1979
Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024
Crossing Paths, Taste Contemporary, Geneva, Switzerland
2023
Porcelain Mountains, Kunstmuseum den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands
2022
The Solo Project with Taste Contemporary, Brussels, Belgium
2021
Pas de Deux, Taste Contemporary, Geneva, Switzerland
2020
Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder, Van Achterbergh Prize Exhibition, The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
2018
Babs Haenen, Hostler Burrows, New York, NY (Catalog)
En Route, Taste Contemporary, Geneva, Switzerland
The Frozen Fountain, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2017
En Route, Two Cities Gallery, Shanghai, China
The Silk Road, The Waterland Museum, Purmerend, The Netherlands
2015
Beijing Design Week with Ubi Gallery, Beijing, China
2014
Scholar’s Rock, Galerie Vivid, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2012
En Route, Gallery Van Krimpen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2008
Babs Haenen, Frans Hals Museum De Hallen, Haarlem, The Netherlands
Porselein, een Huid van Steen (Porcelain, a Skin of Stone), Haarlem, ABC Architecture Center, Harlem, The Netherlands
2002
Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
1999
Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
1998
The Turbulent Vessel: Ceramics 1991–1998, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Catalog)
1995
Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
1992
Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
1991
A Decade of Work, The Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands (Catalog)
Hetjens Museum/Deutsches Ceramics Museum, Düsseldorf, Germany (Catalog)
1989
Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
1988
Artoteek Zuidoost, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1987
Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
1985
Galerie De Witte Voet, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Keramik Studio, Vienna, Austria
1984
Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, The Netherlands
1982
Galerie De Witte Voet, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024
Babs Haenen, Ien Lucas, Hieke Luik, Galerie Ramakers, The Hague, The Netherlands
On the Way to Porcelain Blue and White, Royal Delft Museum, Delft, The Netherlands
Transformative Boundaries, Taste Contemporary and Fabienne Levy Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland
2023
In Residence III, Ting-Ying Gallery and Oliver Sears Gallery, London, UK
Nature/Nurture, Anna House, East Hampton, NY
Netherlands-Korea Invitational Ceramic Exhibition, Seoul Cyber University, Seoul, South Korea
The Value in Things, Ting-Ying Gallery, London, UK
2022
Beneath the Surface: Origin Stories, Mills Station Art and Culture Center, Sacramento, CA
Blue Link: Sino-Dutch Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition, Chengdu, China
Here We Are! Women in Design 1900–Today, Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Art Genève with Taste Contemporary, Geneva, Switzerland
Salon Art + Design with Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
2021
Crafting a Difference at Soshiro, Ting-Ying Gallery, London, UK
Eye of the Collector, Ting-Ying Gallery, London, UK
International Art Fair for Contemporary Craft and Design, Ting-Ying Gallery, London, UK
Shapes from out of Nowhere: Ceramics from the Robert A. Ellison Jr. Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
The Spirit of Porcelain: Jingdezhen International Ceramic Art Biennale, New Art Museum of Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen, China
This Is the Sound of C, CC Zwaneberg, Heist-op-den-Berg, Belgium
Viewing Room, The London Art Fair with Ting-Ying Gallery, London, UK
Salon Art + Design with Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
2020
Blanc de Chine: A Continuous Conversation, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
Collect 2020: International Art Fair for Contemporary Art and Design, Ting-Ying Gallery at the Somerset House, London, UK
Forest Primeval, Hostler Burrow Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Stillness and Movement, Taste Contemporary, Sotheby’s, Geneva, Switzerland
Time Suspended, Gallery Catherine Prevoust and Ting-Ying Gallery, London, UK
Art Genève with Taste Contemporary, Geneva, Switzerland
2019
Cool Clay: Recent Acquisitions of Contemporary Ceramics, The Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
Entre Eau et Ciel (Between Water and Sky): Amsterdam, Helene Aziza, Paris, France
Ghosts of Sunday Morning, Design Museum Den Bosch, Den Bosch, The Netherlands
FOG Design + Art Fair with Hostler Burrows, San Francisco, CA
TEFAF New York with Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
2018
Made in Holland: 400 Year World Brand, Ceramic Museum Princessehof, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
Show Yourself, Design Museum Den Bosch, Den Bosch, The Netherlands
Design Miami/ with Hostler Burrows, Miami, FL
Rich-Z Gallery, Shenzhen, China
Salon Art + Design with Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
2017
A City in Dialogue with the World, Jingdezhen, China
Change the System, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
China Character, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands
Classics Revived: International Contemporary Ceramics Design Invitational Exhibition, Liling Ceramics Valley Museum, Liling, China
Hotel Panorama, PAN Art Fair, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The Dramatic Vessel, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park, Shigaraki, Japan
Vase: Function Reviewed, Farmleigh House and Estate, Dublin, Ireland
Art Rotterdam with Galerie Vivid, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
International Ceramic Fair, Spherebol+, Flow Collection, Jingdezhen, China
2016
Artmonte-carlo Exhibition, Taste Contemporary Craft, Monaco
Masterly: The Dutch in Milano, Palazzo Francesca Turati, Milan, Italy
Sexy Ceramics, Princessehof National Museum of Ceramics, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
The Mode: International Ceramics Arts Invitational Exhibition, Liling Ceramics Valley Museum, Liling, China
Vase: Function Reviewed, National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland
Art Genève with Taste Contemporary Craft, Geneva, Switzerland
Art Rotterdam with Galerie Vivid, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Design Miami/ with Galerie Vivid, Miami, FL
2015
Kunst uit Huis, Collectie Wilploo (Art from Home: Wilploo Collection), Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Schiedam, The Netherlands (Catalog)
Melancholia, Art Rotterdam with Galerie Vivid, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
New China from China: Ceramic Culture and Art Exhibition, KIP International Pavilion, Expo Milano, Milan, Italy (Catalog)
The Beautiful Object, AD Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
World Tour Art Exhibition, Chinese National Treasure Museum of Arts, Beijing, China
Design Miami/ with Galerie Vivid, Miami, FL
Design Miami/ Basel with Galerie Vivid, Basel, Switzerland
PAN Amsterdam with Galerie Vivid, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
FOG Design + Art Fair with Hostler Burrows, San Francisco, CA
2014
Clay! A Century of Ceramics at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, The Netherlands
Europe and Beyond: 12 Artists in Clay, Peppercanister Gallery at Coach House Gallery, Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland
Six Women, Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
Art Rotterdam with Galerie Vivid, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Design Miami/ Basel with Galerie Vivid, Basel, Switzerland
2013
Babs Haenen, Alexander Lichtveld
IJ-Catchers, Peter Rommers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Minimentaal ll (Minimal II), Galerie Metis and Maria Chailloux, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Salah-ad-Din: Mysterious Green, Ceramic Museum Princessehof, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
Teachers and Students, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Kunstconsult, Kunst Rai, Zuid Oost Beemster and Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Muzeum LeSecet Magyarorszag, Pecs, Hungary
2012
Bloemen in het Museum (Flowers in the Museum), Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem, The Netherlands
Maskerade (Masquerade), Frans Halsmuseum De Hallen, Haarlem, The Netherlands (Catalog)
Shifting Paradigms in Contemporary Ceramics, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX (Catalog)
2011
In der Sparte Porzellan (In the Porcelain Section), Kunsthaus Frankenthal, Frankenthal, Germany
Made in China, Ministry of Finance, The Hague, The Netherlands
Made in China, Nederlandsche Bank, Teachers and Students, Ceramic Department Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Modern Ceramics, Collection JWN van Achterbergh (Catalog)
Temporary Stedelijk 2, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Art Rotterdam with Gallery van Krimpen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
Rai–Art Amsterdam with Gallery Van Krimpen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2010
Contemporary Glass and Ceramics, Haags Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, The Netherlands
De Kom, Cypres Gallery, Leuven, Belgium
Kleikunst, Steengoed (Clay Art, Stoneware): Ceramics from the Collection of Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam Kunsthalm, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
RAI Art Amsterdam with Gallery Van Krimpen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2009
Form and Sculpture, Ministry of Finance, The Hague, The Netherlands
Nieuwe Liefdes (New Loves), Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
2008
Top! Stukken: Hedendaagse Keramiek in Nederland (Top! Pieces: Contemporary Dutch Ceramics), Gorcumsmuseum, Gorinchem, The Netherlands
Well-Meaning Cultural Commodities, Barrett Marsden Gallery, London, UK
XXth Century, Haags Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, The Netherlands
2007
European Triennale for Ceramics and Glass, Les Anciens Abattoirs, Mons, Belgium (Catalog)
Pretty Dutch, Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands (Catalog)
Twenty-Five Years Binnen, Gallery Binnen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Catalog)
2006
Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Claremont,CA
2005
Organic Abstraction, Part 2: Homage to Ruth Duckworth, Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
2004
Goudomrand: The Future Handmade, Nederlandsche Bank, Teachers and Students Ceramic Department Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2003
Acquisitions, Museum Princessehof, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
Ceramics: Babs Haenen/Geert Lap, Frans Hals Museum De Hallen, Haarlem, The Netherlands
2002
Allan Chasanoff Ceramic Collection, Mint Museum of Craft+ Design, Charlotte, NC (Catalog)
Blue + White = Radical, Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
New Collection, Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu, Japan (Catalog)
2001
Dutch Contemporary Ceramics, Gallery Janet Mansfield, Sydney, Australia
Poetics of Clay, Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
1999
Collects, The George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Canada
Manifestatie Vormgeving I (Manifestation Design I), Kunsthuis Waterland, Purmerend, The Netherlands
1998
Ceramics from the Netherlands, Kunst und Handwerk Bayerischer Kunstgewerbeverein, Munich, Germany
Een Keuze, Werk van Kunstenaressen uit Museum Collecties (A Selection, Work by Artists in the Museum Collection), Grote Kerk, The Hague, The Netherlands
Night of 101 Cups, Presents the Loving Cup, Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
Premsela Present: Designers Design for a Designer, Gallery Binnen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Standpunten (Positions): Ten Years of Design in the Netherlands, Fund for Visual Arts, Design, and Architecture, Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
1997
Keramik des 20 Jahrhunderts: Sammlung Welle (Ceramics of the 20th Century: Welle Collection), Städtische Galerie in der Reithalle, Schloß Neuhaus, Paderborn, Germany
1996
Hedendaagse Nederlandse Keramiek (Contemporary Dutch Ceramics): Facets of the Same Nature, Commanderie van Sint Jan Museum, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
New Dutch Ceramics, Grimmerhus Ceramic Museum, Middelfart, Denmark
Night of One Hundred and One Cups, Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
The Tulip Vase, Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
541 Vazen, Potten, Plastieken en Serviezen (541 Vases, Pots, Plastics and Tableware), Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1995
Abgedreht und Aufgebaut: Europäische Keramik seit 1950, Sammlung Adolf Egner (Turned and Constructed: European Ceramics Since 1950, The Adolf Egner Collection), Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln, Cologne, Germany
Exhibition in Honor of Bernandine de Neeve, Museum Jan van der Togt, Amstelveen, The Netherlands
Flowering Clay, Ceramics and Ikebana, Desko Gallery, Kortemark, Belgium
Selection of the Permanent Collection of the Everson Museum of Art, National Museum of History, Taiwan, Taipei
100 Years of the Stedelijk Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1994
Night of One Hundred and One Cups, Garth Clark Gallery, New York, NY
Rooms with a View, Hilton International, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tulip Vases from the Netherlands and Turkey: Tulip Mania Indoors and Out, Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, The Netherlands; Hilton International, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Verborgen Collectie, PTT Museum, The Hague, The Netherlands
TEFAF with Gallery Marijke Raaijmakers, Maastricht, The Netherlands
1993
Provided: Applied Art from the Collection of Benno Premsela, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Such Are Our Ways, Carin Delcourt van Krimpen Gallery, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
The Inax Design Prize for Europeans 1st to 5th, Museum Tokoname, Tokoname, Japan (Catalog)
The Interior, KunstRAI with Gallerie Van Krimpen, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Art and Project, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
1992
Beyond Tradition: Contemporary Ceramics in the Collection of the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen Rotterdam, Institut Néerlandais, Paris, France (Catalog)
Frank Steyaert: Hommages, Museum of Decorative Arts, Ghent, Belgium
New Ceramics in Europe, Hetjens-Museum, Düsseldorf, Germany
1991
Inax Design Prize III, Inax Corporation, Tokyo, Japan; Tokoname City Folk Museum, Tokoname, Japan
Porzellane: Moderne Unikate aus 14 Europäischen Ländern, Sammlung Thiemann, Hamburg (Porcelain: Modern Unique Pieces from 14 European Countries, Thiemann Collection, Hamburg), Schloss Reinbek, Reinbek, Germany
Recent Acquisitions, The Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Shigaraki, Japan
1989
Ten Year Weekend Exhibition, Private Home of Ied Boelen-van Gelder, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
KunstRAI Art Fair with De Zaak Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1988
Vice Versa, Musée Joseph Déchelette, Roanne, France (Catalog)
1987
Gemengd Nieuws (Mixed News), Centraal Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Holland in Form, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, The Netherlands (Catalog)
AWARDS
Fonds BKVB, the Netherlands Foundation for Visual Arts, Design, and Architecture
INAX Design Prize for Europeans, Japan
Mondriaan Fund, Visual Arts and Cultural Heritage
Nomination for the Dutch Ceramic Prize
Van Achterbergh Prize
COLLECTIONS
AkzoNobel Art Foundation, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Boise Art Museum, Boise, ID
Carnegie Institute Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA
Ceramic Museum Princessehof, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
Consulate of the Netherlands, Guangzhou, China
Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, New York, NY
Council-hall Municipal Dordrecht, Dordrecht, The Netherlands
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Beijing, China
Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY
Eye Clinic Focus, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem, The Netherlands
George R. Gardener Museum of Ceramic Art, Toronto, Canada
Hague Municipal Museum, The Hague, The Netherlands
Hannema-de Stuers Foundation, Heino, The Netherlands
Hetjens-Museum, Düsseldorf, Germany
House Corporation Ymere, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
INAX Corporation, Tokoname, Japan
Koninklijke PTTNederland. NV, The Hague, The Netherlands
Kunstgewerbe Museum, Berlin, Germany
Liling Ceramics Valley Museum, Liling, China
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague, The Netherlands
Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, NC
Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Museum for Modern Art, Arnhem, The Netherlands
Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Shigaraki, Japan
Museum of Fine Art, Houston, TX
Museum of Modern Ceramics Art, Gifu, Japan
Nederlands Tegelmuseum, Otterlo, The Netherlands
Nederlandsche Bank, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
NV Airport Schiphol, Schiphol, The Netherlands
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Stedelijk Museum's Hertogenbosch, Den Bosch, The Netherlands
Stedelijk Museum Schiedam, Schiedam, The Netherlands
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Tongchuan Master Creative Park Art Gallery
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
