In the ceramic sculpture of Bente Skjøttgaard (Danish, b. 1961), natural and scientific phenomena find expression in tendrils of clay reaching, flexing, and gesturing in tempestuously coiled combinations. These coils gather to form whip-like networks, spiral whorls, and interlocking molecular geometries. Often poised on the tips of stilt-like supports which buckle ever so slightly beneath the sculpture’s weight, the works materialize the physical forces at work in three-dimensional construction: tensile strength, gravitational pull, cantilevered volumes, and the slow alchemy of minerals and glazes combining in the high-temperature crucible of the kiln.
Skjøttgaard’s subjects emerge from loose, gestural coils of clay which are deliberately unglazed in places, captured in medias res, intentionally imperfect yet always dynamic. Frequently, Skjøttgaard’s work pays homage to the turbulence of natural phenomena, whether drawing on the form of brewing storm clouds and whistling tornado funnels or considering the flagella of sea life and the matted networks of tree roots tunneling into the soil. In doing so, she foregrounds the capacity of clay to exhibit opposing ideas — strength and elasticity, density and weightlessness, impressionability and durability — in sculptures based upon the structures of cloud typologies, iterations of the bonds between carbon atoms, or in one case, formed from the imprints of the hooves of cattle grazing.
Her practice is often described in experimental terms for good reason: the variations in glaze and structure perform a trial and repetition of making. It is a way of working which reveals the restless, unrelenting face of the creative process and its pursuit of endless possibility.
Skjøttgaard attended the Kolding Design School and Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Her work has been exhibited at the Vejen Art Museum, Holstebro Kunstmuseum, Musée Fabre, and the Trapholt Art Museum. Her sculptures are in the collection of numerous institutions, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Musée National de Céramique de Sévres, the Designmuseum Danmark, and the Annie & Otto Johs. Detlefs Collection. Skjøttgaard is the recipient of awards including the Grosserer L. F. Foghts Fund, the Design Foundation Award, the Arts and Crafts Prize of 1879, and the Exhibition Award of Charlottenborg.
EDUCATION
1986
Kolding Design School, Kolding, Denmark
1985
Exchange student at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Israel
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025
Nature and Glaze, CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Denmark, Middelfart, Denmark
2024
Timberline, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
2021
Bente Skjøttgaard: Tableaux, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
Bente Skjøttgaard: Ten Tales of Glaze, Køppe Contemporary Objects, Rønne, Bornholm, Denmark
2020
Bente Skjøttgaard: Biotope, Ann Linnemann Galleri, Copenhagen, Denmark
2019
Look at Me!, Madoura, Vallauris, France
2018
Look at Me!, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
Nature of Glaze, Pierre Marie Giraud, Brussels, Belgium
2016
Bente Skjøttgaard, Espèces Nouvelles, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
New Species, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
2014
Cumulus Congestus, Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Brussels, Belgium
Cumulonimbus, Copenhagen Ceramics, Frederiksberg, Denmark
2013
Aire de Repos (Rest Stop), Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
2011
Fokus on Traces, Vejen Art Museum, Vejen, Denmark
Puls-Contemporary Ceramics, Brussels, Belgium
2010
Cumulus, Ann Linnemann Studio Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
Dans les Nuages (In the Clouds), Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
2008
Elements in White, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
Blås & Knåda, Stockholm, Sweden
Køppe Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2007
Puls-Contemporary Ceramics, Brussels, Belgium
2006
Galerie Maria Lund - La Galerie Danoise, Paris, France
2005
Interglacial Period, Galleri Nørby, Copenhagen, Denmark
2004
Galerie Maria Lund - La Galerie Danoise, Paris, France
2003
Bente Skjøttgaard 2001–2003, Grimmerhus Museum of International Ceramic Art, Middelfart, Denmark
Glazed Items with Ramifications, Holstebro Kunstmuseum, Holstebro, Denmark
Puls-Contempory Ceramics, Brussels, Belgium
2001
Puls-Contemporary Ceramics, Brussels, Belgium
2000
Glasurstykker (Glazed Items), Galleri Nørby, Copenhagen, Denmark
1997
Håndvask (Washbasin), Udstillingssted for Ny Keramik, Copenhagen, Denmark
1990
The Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Shop, Amagertorv, Copenhagen, Denmark
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025
Alive and Unfolding, Le Delta, Namur, Belgium
Herfra (From Here), Vrå-Udstillingen 83, Kunstbygningen i Vrå – Engelundsamlingen, Vrå, Denmark
Poetry of the Woods: The Call of the Wild, Køppe Contemporary Objects, Bornholm, Denmark
2024
3daysofdesign Festival, Peach Corner, Frederiksberg, Denmark
2023
Alchemists Convention: A Ceramic Meeting between Past and Present, Vejen Art Museum, Vejen, Denmark; Peach Corner, Frederiksberg, Denmark
The Cheongju Craft Biennale 2023, Cheongju-si, South Korea
2022
Bente Skjøttgaard & Anne Damgaard: Everything Flows, Museet Holmen, Løgumkloster, Denmark
Bente Skjøttgaard & Anne Damgaard: Everything Flows, Peach Corner, Frederiksberg, Denmark
Les Flammes: L’Âge de la Céramique, Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, Paris, France
Smoke, Jason Jacques Gallery for Last Prisoner Project, New York, NY
2021
Bend, Bubble and Shine: Copenhagen Ceramics, Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
Bend, Bubble and Shine: Copenhagen Ceramics, Hostler Burrows Annex, Los Angeles, CA
Glaze Tests, Galerie Handwerk, Munich, Germany
Glowing in the Dark, The Biennale for Craft & Design, Koldinghus, Kolding, Denmark Peach Corner, Frederiksberg, Denmark
Stefan Reiterer + Bente Skjøttgaard, Stereo Exchange, Frederiksberg, Denmark
2020
Anne Damgaard and Bente Skjøttgaard: All Solid Melts into Air, Kunstpakhuset, Ikast, Denmark
Eight Marts Woman Nature, Store Kongensgade, Copenhagen, Denmark
Glowing in the Dark, Jason Jacques Gallery, New York, NY
Ler er Livet, Erik Veistrups Samling (Laughter Is Life, Erik Veistrup's Collection), CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Grimmerhus, Middelfart, Denmark
2019
Ceramic Momentum: Staging the Object, CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Grimmerhus, Middelfart, Denmark
reCLAYmed, Berg Gallery AB, Stockholm, Sweden
Regarder les Nuages (Watching the Clouds), Musée des Beaux-Arts de Cambrai, Cambrai, France
Turn Me On ... Now, Side Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
100 Års Dansk Keramik (100 Years of Danish Ceramics), Kunstforeningen Det ny Kastet, Thisted, Denmark
100 Års Dansk Keramik (100 Years of Danish Ceramics), Sophienholm, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Gabriel & Guillaume, Beirut, Lebanon
2018
Present, Musée & Jardins Van Buuren, Brussels, Belgium
Mesterværker Jubilæumsudstilling (Masterpieces Anniversary Exhibition), Ann Linnemann Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
100 Years of Danish Ceramics, Maison du Danemark, Paris, France
2017
Claytime!, Side Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
Glaze, Glasur: Kemi - Masse - Myte (Chemistry - Mass - Myth), Sophienholm, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Grand Designs — Clever Hands, CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art Grimmerhus, Middelfart, Denmark
Special Exhibition: Modern Masters, International Trade Fair, Munich, Germany
Nuages (Clouds), Galerie du WCC-BF, Mons, Belgium
Object, My Friends, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
The Stars, They Are, Berg Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
Ultimate Impact: Five Phenomena in Nordic Design Culture, Rundetårn, Copenhagen, Denmark
2016
Copenhagen Ceramics Invites, Galleria Salvatore Lanteri, Milan, Italy
Nuages, Centre Céramique de Giroussens, Giroussens, France
2015
Climats Artificiels (Artificial Climates), Espace Fondation EDF, Paris, France
Glitter and Glaze, Superobjekt Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
Many a Slip, Marsden Woo Gallery, London, UK
Random Growth, Contemporary European Ceramics, Phos Art + Design, London, UK
14e Parcours Céramique Carougeois (14th Carouge Ceramics Route), Biennale Internationale de Céramique Contemporaine, Carouge, Switzerland
2014
Art14, Galerie Maria Lund, London, UK
Formed, Djanogly Art Gallery, Nottingham, UK
The Ceramic Object, Galleri Format, Oslo, Norway
10 000 Hours – What is Talent, Trapholt Art Museum, Kolding, Denmark
2013
Copenhagen Ceramics Invites, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
We Would Be Delighted to See, Art Center Silkeborg Bad, Silkeborg, Denmark
2012
Bodil Manz and Bente Skjøttgaard: Cuts and Interventions, Copenhagen Ceramics, Frederiksberg, Denmark
Glasurglæder (Glaze Joys), Vejen Art Museum, Vejen, Denmark
Underværker (Wonders): Masterpieces from Danish Private Collections, Kunsten Museum of Modern Art, Aalborg, Denmark
Fra Sans til Samling (From Sense to Collection): New Donations from Erik Veistrup, Grimmerhus Museum of International Ceramic Art, Middelfart, Denmark
Perturbations, Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France
Mindcraft 12, Danish Crafts, Ventura Lambrate, Milan, Italy
2011
Biennalen for Kunsthåndværk og Design (The Biennale for Crafts and Design), Koldinghus, Kolding, Denmark
Living with Ceramics, Puls-Contemporary Ceramics at Ampersand House, Brussels, Belgium
Mindcraft 11, Danish Crafts, Ventura Lambrate, Milan, Italy
Seizième Biennale Internationale de Céramique de Châteauroux (Seventeenth International Ceramics Biennial of Châteauroux), Châteauroux, France
The Sixth International Competition, GICBiennale, Icheon, South Korea
2010
Across, Carlsberg Ny Tap, Copenhagen, Denmark
Biennale International de Vallauris, Musée Magnelli, Vallauris, France
2009
Quinziéme Biennale International de Céramique (Fifteenth International Ceramics Biennial), Châteauroux, France
Room 141, Gallery Contemporary Ceramics, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
The Invitational World Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition: Adventures of the Fire, South Korea
2008
Lux-Lab, Gimsinghoved, Struer, Denmark
Statistics><Ceramics, New Danish Ceramics, Röhsska Museet, Göteborg, Sweden; Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany
2007
Biennalen, Trapholt Art Museum, Kolding, Denmark
Everything Is Flux, Drud & Køppe Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2006
Bjerge i Dansk Kunst (Mountains in Danish Art), Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, Herning, Denmark
European Ceramic Context, Bornholm Art Museum, Gudhjem, Denmark
2005
The Carsten Løvbjerg Collection, Horsens Art Museum, Horsens, Denmark
2004
Biennalen, Trapholt Art Museum, Kolding, Denmark; Museum of Modern Art, Aalborg, Denmark
Corner, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
2003
New Danish Ceramics, The Danish Museum of Art & Design, Copenhagen, Denmark
2002
From the Kilns of Denmark: Contemporary Danish Ceramics, The Museum of Art and Design, Traveling: New York, NY; Fitchburg, MA; San Diego, CA; Sacramento, CA; Racine, WI; Paris, France; and Berlin, Germany
Mellem Rum (In-Between Spaces), Udstillingssted for Ny Keramik at Galleri Nørby, Copenhagen, Denmark
2000
Keramik uden Fortilfælde (Ceramics of No Precedent), Udstillingssted for Ny Keramik, Copenhagen, Denmark
Dansk Form: Design vom Nachbarn (Danish Form: Design of Neighbors), Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany
1999
Keramik aus Dänemark (Ceramics from Denmark), Galleri Handwerk, Munich, Germany
1998
Bente Skjøttgaard and Anne Tphøj: I Blomst — I Vase (In Bloom – In Vase), Udstillingssted for Ny Keramik, Copenhagen, Denmark
1996
Duplika (Duplicate): Danish Applied Art, The Danish Architecture Centre, Gammel Dok, Copenhagen, Denmark
1995
Dansk Design Proces: Produkt, The Danish Architecture Centre, Gammel Dok, Copenhagen, Denmark
En Badeværelseshistorie (A Bathroom Story), Galleri Nørby, Copenhagen, Denmark
1994
Rooms and Rituals of Everyday Life, Den Frie, Copenhagen, Denmark
The Ceramic Jug, Marienlyst Castle, Helsingør, Denmark
The Danish Ceramics Triennial 1, Trapholt Art Museum, Kolding, Denmark
1993
The Arts and Crafts Prize of 1879, The Danish Museum of Art & Design, Copenhagen, Denmark
1991
Charlottenborg Autumn Exhibition, Copenhagen, Denmark
Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition, Copenhagen, Denmark
Never Compromise on Quality, Spøttrup Castle Museum, Skive, Denmark
PUBLIC COMMISSIONS
2011
Traces of the Jutland Cattle, Art Along the Ancient Road Hærvejen in Jutland, The Danish Arts Foundation
AWARDS
Annie & Otto Johs. Detlefs’ Keramikpris
Danish Crafts
Danmarks Nationalbanks Jubilæumsfond af 1968
Designfonden
Det Reiersenske Fond
Grosserer L.F. Foghts Fond
Inga og Ejvind Kold Christensens pris
Kunsthåndværkerprisen af 1879
National Workshops for Arts and Crafts, Ministry of Culture, Denmark
Nationalbankens påskønnelseslegat
Ole Haslunds Artist Foundation
Ole Haslunds Kunstnerfond
The Arts and Crafts Price of 1879
The Danish Art Foundation
The Danish Art Foundation Three-Year Grant
The Design Foundation
The Exhibition Award of Charlottenborg
OTHER ACTIVITIES
2014
Jury member at the Biennale Internationale de Vallauris, France
2012
Co-manager of Copenhagen Ceramics, Smallegade 46, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark
2011
Co-founder of the exhibition platform Copenhagen Ceramics
“10 Days,” International Ceramics Workshop at the GIC Biennale, Icheon, South Korea
Co-initiator of “SuperFormLab”, the new ceramics department at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design
2009–11
Traces of the Jutland Cattle: Art Along the Ancient Road Hærvejen in Jutland, a project by the Danish Arts Foundation
2009
ISCAEE Symposium: The International Symposium of Ceramics Education and Exchange, South Korea
2006–08
Board Member, International Ceramic Research Center Guldagergaard, Skælskør, Denmark
2006
Co-founder of the exhibition group “Lux Lab”
2005
Lecturer at the Department of Ceramics, The Danish Design School, Copenhagen, Denmark
2002–03
Crafts Collection 6 and 7, Danish Crafts, Ambiente, Frankfurt, Germany
2001–02
Jury Member, Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition
2001
Co-founder of the exhibition group “New Danish Ceramics”
1999–00
Joint Owner of Udstillingssted for Ny Keramik (The Exhibition Room for New Ceramics), Kompagnistræde 25, Copenhagen, Denmark
1994–05
Visiting Teacher, Kolding Design School and The Danish Design School, Copenhagen, Denmark
1986–90
Artist at the Royal Danish Porcelain Factories Bing & Grøndahl and Royal Copenhagen
COLLECTIONS
Annie & Otto Johs. Detlefs Collection
Carsten Løvbjerg Collection
Copenhagen Culturel Foundation
Designmuseum Danmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
Erik Veistrup Collection, Museum of International Ceramic Art, Denmark
Fond National d’Art Contemporain, France
Grimmerhus, Museum of International Ceramic Art, Middelfart, Denmark
Holstebro Kunstmuseum, Holstebro, Denmark
Kunstforeningen af 14. August, Copenhagen, Denmark
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France
Musée National de Céramique de Sévres, France
The Danish Art Foundation
Trapholt Art Museum, Kolding, Denmark
Vejen Art Museum, Vejen, Denmark
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK
