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 hoofs 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 & 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.
BENTE SKJØTTGAARD
b. 1961, Frederiksberg, Denmark
EDUCATION
1986 Kolding Design School, Kolding, Denmark
1985 Exchange student at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Israel
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 Timberline, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
2021 Bente Skjøttgaard: Ten Tales of Glaze, Køppe Contemporary Objects,
Rønne, Bornholm, Denmark
Bente Skjøttgaard: Tableaux, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
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, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
2011 Fokus on Traces, Vejen Art Museum, Vejen, Denmark
Puls-Contemporary Ceramics, Brussels, Belgium
2010 Dans les nuages, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
Cumulus, Ann Linnemann Studio Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2008 Blås & Knåda, Stockholm, Sweden
Elements in White, Galerie Maria Lund, Paris, France
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 Glazed Items with Ramifications, Holstebro Kunstmuseum, Holstebro, Denmark
Puls-Contempory Ceramics, Brussels, Belgium
Bente Skjøttgaard 2001–2003, Grimmerhus Museum of
International Ceramic Art, Middelfart, Denmark
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
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 3daysofdesign Festival, Peach Corner, Frederiksberg, Denmark
Ceramic Brussels Fair, represented by Galerie Maria Lund Paris, Brussels, Belgium
2023 The Cheongju Craft Biennale 2023, Cheongju-si, South Korea
Alchemists Convention: A ceramic meeting between past and present, Vejen Art Museum,
Vejen and Peach Corner, Frederiksberg, Denmark
2022 Bente Skjøttgaard & Anne Damgaard: Everything Flows, Museet Holmen,
Løgumkloster, Denmark
Bente Skjøttgaard & Anne Damgaard: Everything Flows, Peach Corner,
Frederiksberg, Denmark
Smoke, Jason Jacques Gallery for Last Prisoner Project, New York, NY
Les Flammes: L’Âge de la Céramique, Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, Paris, France
2021 Bend, Bubble and Shine: Copenhagen Ceramics, Hostler Burrows Annex, Los Angeles, CA
Bend, Bubble and Shine: Copenhagen Ceramics, Hostler Burrows, New York, NY
Glaze Tests, Galerie Handwerk, Munich, Germany
Stefan Reiterer + Bente Skjøttgaard, Stereo Exchange, Frederiksberg, Denmark
Glowing in the Dark, The Biennale for Craft & Design, Koldinghus, Kolding, Denmark
Peach Corner, Frederiksberg, Denmark
2020 Ler er Livet, Erik Veistrups Samling, CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art
Grimmerhus, Middelfart, Denmark
Glowing in the Dark, Jason Jacques Gallery, New York, NY
Anne Damgaard and Bente Skjøttgaard: All Solid Melts into Air,
Kunstpakhuset, Ikast, Denmark
Eight Marts Woman Nature, Store Kongensgade, Copenhagen, Denmark
2019 Salon Art + Design NYC, represented by Side Gallery Barcelona, New York, NY
PAD London, represented by Side Gallery
Regarder les nuages, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Cambrai, Cambrai, France
100 Års Dansk Keramik, Kunstforeningen Det ny Kastet, Thisted, Denmark
100 Års Dansk Keramik, Sophienholm, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Ceramic Momentum: Staging the Object, CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art
Grimmerhus, Middelfart, Denmark
reCLAYmed, Berg Gallery AB, Stockholm, Sweden
Gabriel & Guillaume, Beirut, Lebanon
Turn Me On ... Now, Side Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
100 Years of Danish Ceramics, Sophienholm Lyngby and Kunstforeningen
Det Nu Kastet, Thisted, Denmark
2018 100 Years of Danish Ceramics, Maison du Danemark, Paris, France
Present, Musée & Jardins Van Buuren, Brussels, Belgium
Mesterværker Jubilæumsudstilling, Ann Linnemann Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
Design Miami/Basel, represented by Pierre Marie Giraud, Basel, Switzerland
2017 Claytime!, Side Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
Grand Designs — Clever Hands, CLAY Museum of Ceramic Art
Grimmerhus, Middelfart, Denmark
The Stars, They Are, Berg Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
Design Miami/Basel, represented by Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Basel, Switzerland
Design Miami, represented by Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Miami, FL
Ultimate Impact: Five Phenomena in Nordic Design Culture, Rundetårn,
Copenhagen, Denmark
Object, My Friends, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
Glaze, Glasur: Kemi - Masse - Myte, Sophienholm, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Special Exhibition: Modern Masters, International Trade Fair, Munich, Germany
Nuages, Galerie du WCC-BF, Mons, Belgium
2016 Design Miami/Basel, represented by Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Basel, Switzerland
Design Miami, represented by Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Miami, FL
Nuages, Centre Céramique de Giroussens, Giroussens, France
Copenhagen Ceramics Invites, Galleria Salvatore Lanteri, Milan, Italy
2015 Design Miami/Basel, Represented by Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Basel, Switzerland
Design Miami, Represented by Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Miami, FL
Random Growth, Contemporary European Ceramics, Phos Art + Design, London, UK
Climats Artificiels, Espace Fondation EDF, Paris, France
Quatorzième Parcours Céramique Carougeois, Biennale Internationale de
Céramique Contemporaine, Carouge, Switzerland
Many a Slip, Marsden Woo Gallery, London, UK
Glitter and Glaze, Superobjekt Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
2014 10 000 Hours – What is Talent, TRAPHOLT Art Museum, Kolding, Denmark
Design Miami/Basel, Represented by Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Basel, Switzerland
Design Miami, Represented by Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Miami, FL
The Ceramic Object, Galleri Format, Oslo, Norway
Art14, Galerie Maria Lund, London, UK
Formed, Djanogly Art Gallery, Nottingham, UK
2013 Design Miami/Basel, represented by Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Basel, Switzerland
Design Miami, represented by Galerie Pierre Marie Giraud, Miami, FL
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: Masterpieces from Danish Private Collections, Kunsten Museum of
Modern Art, Aalborg, Denmark
Fra Sans til Samling: 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 Seizième Biennale Internationale de Céramique de Châteauroux, Châteauroux, France
Biennalen for Kunsthåndværk og Design, Koldinghus, Kolding, Denmark
The Sixth International Competition, GICBiennale, Icheon, South Korea
KIAF Korea International Art Fair, Galerie Maria Lund, Seoul, South Korea
Mindcraft 11, Danish Crafts, Ventura Lambrate, Milan, Italy
Living with Ceramics, Puls-Contemporary Ceramics at Ampersand House,
Brussels, Belgium
2010 Biennale International de Vallauris, Musée Magnelli, Vallauris, France
KIAF Korea International Art Fair, Galerie Maria Lund, Seoul, South Korea
Across, Carlsberg Ny Tap, Copenhagen, Denmark
2009 Collect, Køppe Gallery, Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
The Invitational World Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition: Adventures of the Fire,
South Korea
KIAF Korea International Art Fair, Galerie Maria Lund, South Korea
Quinziéme Biennale International de Céramique, Châteauroux, France
Room 141, Gallery Contemporary Ceramics, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK
2008 Statistics><Ceramics, New Danish Ceramics, Röhsska Museet, Göteborg, Sweden;
Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany
Lux-Lab, Gimsinghoved, Struer, Denmark
KIAF Korea International Art Fair, Galerie Maria Lund, South Korea
2007 Collect, Galleri Nørby, V&A, London, UK
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 SOFA Chicago, Galleri Nørby, Chicago, IL
The Carsten Løvbjerg Collection, Horsens Art Museum, Horsens, Denmark
2004 SOFA Chicago, Galleri Nørby, Chicago, IL
Corner, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
Biennalen, Trapholt Art Museum, Kolding, Denmark; Museum of Modern Art,
Aalborg, Denmark
2003 SOFA Chicago, Galleri Nørby, Chicago, IL
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, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe,
Hamburg, Germany
1999 Keramik aus Dänemark, 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: Danish Applied Art, The Danish Architecture Centre,
Gammel Dok, Copenhagen, Denmark
1995 En Badeværelseshistorie (A Bathroom Story), Galleri Nørby, Copenhagen, Denmark
Dansk Design Proces: Produkt, The Danish Architecture Centre,
Gammel Dok, 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 Never Compromise on Quality, Spøttrup Castle Museum, Skive, Denmark
Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition, Copenhagen, Denmark
Charlottenborg Autumn Exhibition, Copenhagen, 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
2009–2011 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
2006–2008 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
2002–2003 Crafts Collection 6 and 7, Danish Crafts, Ambiente, Frankfurt, Germany
2001–2002 Jury Member, Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition
2001 Co-founder of the exhibition group “New Danish Ceramics”
1999–2000 Joint Owner of Udstillingssted for Ny Keramik (The Exhibition Room for New
Ceramics), Kompagnistræde 25, Copenhagen, Denmark
1994–2005 Visiting Teacher, Kolding Design School and The Danish Design School,
Copenhagen, Denmark
1986–1990 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 Art 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 & Albert Museum, London, UK
