“I make work that exists between Art and Design”: Stephen Antonson joins the Invisible Collection, gracing us with his otherworldly designs. Discover a true master and the infinite possibilities of plaster.
Stephen Antonson is first and foremost an artist who – after starting off as a sculptor and painter, exhibiting in art galleries – found in plaster the perfect medium to express his elegant, unbridled creativity. His studio in Brooklyn has become the must-visit place for design connoisseurs and high-profile collectors: a trove of otherworldly, striking designs including chandeliers, mirrors, lighting fixtures, vases and decorative objects as well as tables, desks and chairs… all in white plaster!
Picking up where revered masters in the likes of Jean-Michel Frank, Serge Roche and Giacometti left off, Antonson reintroduces plaster as an age-old medium with infinite possibilities in contemporary interior decoration. Building a bridge between art and design he delivers one-of-a-kind pieces that earned him the title of “master of plaster”, coined by Architectural Digest.
We are amazed at Antonson’s free, purely artistic vision of plaster, and we are fascinated by the way he transforms this humble material into sculptural poetry. The almost ghostly white of the plaster becomes a deep colour with stunningly visual effects. Moreover, we are impressed by Antonson’s skilful mastery as he painstakingly moulds and works a material that starts out as a liquid but in a couple of minutes becomes solid: the artist races against time in order to create a timeless artwork… How à propos and poetic!
Before discovering Antonson’s beautiful designs, available on The Invisible Collection, find out more about him in the following interview:
What drew you to interior architecture and design and what do you like the most about it?
Before I began making functional objects, I had a successful fine art practice. The truth is the two share a language- the exploration of form, texture, and composition are just some of the aspects that carry over to the work I create in the studio now. Rauschenberg said he made art that existed between Life and Art. I make work that exists between Art and Design.
Can you describe your work and style in a few words?
Furniture and lighting that explore what seem like the infinite possibilities of plaster and bronze.
The piece of furniture you most like to design?
Invariably, it is the piece I’m working on now. That happens to be a series of wall reliefs.
The most useful piece of design related advice you’ve received and would like to pass on?
There are two: My friend Miles Redd once said, “Say ‘yes’” until you can afford to say ‘no’”. And Steve Jobs’: “Stay hungry, stay foolish”.
What do you like about The Invisible Collection?
Who wouldn’t want to be in such good company?
Which piece of furniture (not included in your collection), available on The Invisible Collection, do you like the most?
Fragment Clock by Nada Debs
