Guy Bareff
France

Guy Bareff was born in Mâcon in 1942. His recent works represent a renewed exploration of the visual vocabulary that characterized his work as a sculptor in the 1970s. Bareff’s new pieces, produced today in collaboration with the ceramist Benedicte Brun, evoke the emblematic style of this decade, while being distinct, their creation having been influenced by the contemporary context in which they were produced. Bareff’s nuanced re-examination of such a fruitful period in his artistic evolution resulted in a unique work, the latest incarnation of decades of artistic expression. Bareff grew up in a circle of ceramicists, and began producing ceramics at a young age, possessing an almost innate familiarity with the materiality of earth.

Inspired in particular by architecture, he became increasingly interested in clay for its ability to give shape to his sculpture, moving away from the practical nature of his previous attempts. A key decision in this transition was to abandon glazes and work solely from clay, allowing the full effect of the piece to be expressed through the combined qualities of this unique material. The warmth of color and raw texture in pure form resonated with Bareff. From that moment on, the central dialogue of his work became the dynamic play of light and shapes in space, both the light projected onto the objects and that placed in the sculpture by the artist. The 1970s were a very productive period for Bareff; he exhibits in galleries and carries out large international commissions for luxury hotels and private villas. In subsequent decades his attention turned to other activities, including painting, theater and writing, only more recently returning to sculpture. He currently lives and works in Provence.