Selected objects
For more than half a century, the Axel Vervoordt Company’s relationship with art and antiques has been a way to share our experiences of the world. We believe the best way to full inhabit a space is by being surrounded by architecture, furniture, art, and objects that are represented by the honesty of their materials and the purity of intent in their creation.
Grindstone
Grindstones such as this one are a clear indication of this new lifestyle. Used to grind grain on a regular, and the repetitive motion of this activity resulted in a smooth surface that brings out the natural beauty of the stone used.
Günther Uecker, "Untitled (Weißes Bild)", 1959
Uecker’s art tends towards sculpture simply because of the way it is made. Objects such as canvas, wood, tables, chairs and pianos studded with nails produce something organic, spore-like and animated in their rhythmic structuring. By being studded with nails, in principle an aggressively destructive act, the object is deprived of its utilitarian function to become a symbolically condensed object for representation. In Untitled (Weißes Bild), the energy and dynamic are discernible which distinguish Uecker’s work. The creative process is almost palpable.
Head of a Buddha
This beautifully sculpted head of a Buddha fully captures a physical essence of serenity coupled with a true effortlessness of being. The subtle fleshiness of the check and chin and the curvature of the eyebrows are typical for Northern Qi art.
"Creu i dos Peus (Cross and two Feet)", Antoni Tàpies, 2007
Antoni Tàpies shared a sensibility with artists affected by the Second World War and the dropping of the atomic bomb. He soon expressed an interest in rough matter - earth, dust, atoms and particles - which made him start using all kinds of materials foreign to academic artistic expression and experimenting with new techniques. The matter paintings make up a substantial part of his work.
José Zanine Caldas - Lounge Chair
Zanine's eye for the inherent beauty of native Brazilian woods, as well as for their technical properties, is reflected in the organic quality of lounge chair. The laid-back character of the chair, enhanced by a warm patina, creates a welcoming and comfortable aspect.
Anish Kapoor, "Untitled", 2002
Presence versus absence, materiality versus absence, tangibility versus immateriality, chaos versus order: Anish Kapoor's work is full of apparent contradictions and dualities. The results are "voids", or objects that are not objects, "something that actually does not exist".
"Mesh", Katsuhiro Yamaguchi, 1961
The 1950s were a significant period in Japan for experimental art. This was the decade when the Experimental Workshop was founded by the critic Shuzo Takiguchi. Yamaguchi was one of the founder members. The group's uniting principle was to treat experiment as if it were as important in art as it is in science. Their activities involved all available media, and some of their memorable works included performance, stage design, photography, light sculptures, concerts, and slide and sound presentations.
César, "Compression"
César was at the forefront of the Nouveau Réalisme movement with his radical compressions (compacted automobiles, discarded metal, or rubbish), expansions (polyurethane foam sculptures), and fantastic representations of animals and insects.
