“My approach is about imbuing bronze with warmth and vitality by borrowing scarification techniques and visual motifs from tribal societies,” says Donat.

Ingrid Donat is a French- Swedish artist born in 1957. Donat trained at École des Beaux Arts and later she met with Sylva Bernt, who instructed her in the art of sculpture. During the 80’s sculptor Diego Giacometti pushed her to start creating her own furniture.

Now, Donat currently stands as one of the most influential living artists in Decorative Arts. Her sculptured bronze furniture pieces exist as a symbiosis between the sophistication of Art Deco against the force of Tribal Art. Her creations take a painterly approach to the weighty medium of bronze.

Donat draws upon a diverse range of decorating influences including tribal tattooing. The works of Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, and Armand-Albert Rateau have inspired the characters and intricate patterns in her art. Donat crosses time without ever anchoring herself in the trends of the moment.

She expresses a universal language as in the era of the first civilizations. Her timeless work needs to be seen and touched to be truly understood.

Art of the Twentieth Century, New York, USA
Fondation Louise T Blouin, London, UK