Harumi Klossowska de Rola: Sacred Woods

A rare look at the magnificent objects and signature bronze sculptures inspired by creatures of the natural world.

This is the first book dedicated to the work of Swiss-based artist Harumi Klossowska de Rola (b. 1973), which accompanies an exhibition. The book is filled with her iconic designs of bronze sculptures, screens, and benches, as well as examples of haute joaillerie, sketches, and items from her family’s collection of decorative arts and antiques.

Art has always been a part of Klossowska de Rola’s life since the time she spent at Villa Medici, the residence of the French Academy in Rome, with her father, the celebrated artist Balthus, and her mother, Setsuko Ideta, a Japanese sculptor and artist. Her multicultural roots, alongside the creative aura of her family, endowed her with a sharp sensitiveness toward the ephemeral and the fleeting. She draws inspiration from various sources including nature (wild animals, plants, and trees); Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology; African art; and Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi. Klossowska de Rola currently lives and works at the Grand Chalet de Rossinière, the largest chalet in Europe, near Gstaad, Switzerland. Beyond the environs is a menagerie of wild creatures that find sanctuary in their surroundings. For her large-scale sculptures, Klossowska de Rola begins sketching and molds them into form in clay, then they are sent to the foundry of skilled craftsmen in France and Switzerland. She then finishes them with touches of patina and final details in her studio. In addition to bronze, she often works with organic materials such as wood, alabaster, and stone.

Olivier Berggruen is a German American art historian and independent curator based in New York.