Claire Lippmann
Traces of Wind and Bone
by Aracely Lazcano
With a soft voice and striking personality French-Mexican sculptor Claire Lippmann presented her latest collection at an exhibit sponsored by the Consulate General of Mexico and the University of Texas at El Paso.
“I speak with my hands and you listen with your eyes,” she said while addressing over 100 people gathered at the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts. The event was in observance of the Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Traces of Wind and Bone incorporates a series of contemporary pieces of ceramics, pottery, and sculptures. The artist works with natural elements such as clay, water, air, and fire to reflect on the origins of mankind. Each of her pieces is unique and combines to perfection soft earth tones, organic materials and a minimalistic style. “I wanted to present a very natural collection, subtle and transparent,” Lippman tells us.
Lippmann stated her recent work is inspired in a recollection of her inner needs. “I wanted to show abstract pieces instead of figurative ones because it is something you don’t see everywhere, you need to look at them within yourself.”
Her work is in perfect harmony with the origins of evolution and reflects the docility, serenity, and beauty it generates. This exhibit was made possible to the generous support of the Sebastian Cultural Foundation, the Texas Commission of Arts and the Museums and Cultural Affairs Department. Born in Paris, France, from a British mother and a Polish father, Claire Lippmann came to the United States to study psychology in New York, but while visiting a friend’s house, she fell in love with the work of Mexican ceramist master Gustavo Perez. “My friend told me he was spending the night at his place and I got to know him.” Perez was later impressed with a note she left at a guest book during one of his exhibits. He fell compelled by her words and admiration; he decided to invite her to be his apprentice. Lippmann immediately accepted and moved to Jalapa, Veracruz, a coastal state southeast Mexico. There she has spent over a decade learning the secrets of ceramics. “Clay never let me go, the day I touched it, it was a revelation,” she concluded.
Lippmann has shown her work in Washington D.C., New York, Brazil, Spain and Mexico. Her latest collection of nest and shells, cellular pieces, weaving and stoneware mounted on cotton can be admired from May 6th to July 19th at the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts Gallery.
For additional information you can call (915)747-6151 or send an email at rubincenter@utep.edu.
Photographs by Laura Bustillos