A ceramicist with his own color

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A ceramicist with his own color

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Blue dishes by Pieter Stockmans. Provided by Thecla

Pieter Stockmans is a ceramic artist with his own color, “Stockmans Blue,” a label given by his fans.

“I was looking for something different, but at the same time needed a color that could endure high temperatures,” said the artist. “It’s flattering and interesting for me that people are calling it by that name.”

Stockmans is a renowned ceramist from Belgium who recently opened a shop in Korea, his first in Asia.

Stockmansshop, which features some of the artist’s most famous designs, is situated within Hyundai Department Store’s flagship Apgujeong-dong branch in southern Seoul.

It opened in April and is already doing brisk business.

Stockmans is arguably the most famous ceramist in Belgium. While working in the Netherlands with the porcelain company Royal Mosa for nearly 20 years until 1989, he created “Sonja,” one of the most widely used coffee cups in the world today.

After leaving the Dutch factory, Stockmans became a free-lance designer, setting up his own firm, Studio Pieter Stockmans, in 1987.

The artist makes porcelain products and says he loves the feel of the ceramic material when dried.

“It’s like I can feel nature itself,” the 69-year-old designer remarked.

Stockmans specializes in producing a very thin, almost transparent kind of porcelain.

“It looks very fragile, as if it could break if you hold it in your hand,” Stockmans said. “But in fact, porcelain is a very strong material. The unexpectedness of it is what I also like [about it.]”

For over 10 years, the artist has worked with his daughter, Widukind, and her husband Frank Claesen, both of whom are also designers. Their creations are part of the Pieter Stockmans Belgium line.

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The artist Pieter Stockmans

Stockmans’ Studio Collection includes housewares such as plates, bowls, cups and vases.

Stockmans also makes jewelry and other gift items.

His products have been exported to France, England, Italy, Australia and the United States and his art projects have been exhibited in museums such as the Gent design museum in Belgium, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Koreans have had a positive response to his designs.

According to Park Maep-si of the Stockmansshop in Seoul, customers were at first quite curious about the work of this ceramic designer from Belgium, a country many associate with chocolate or waffles, but not typically known for its porcelain.

“Both men and women alike are interested in Stockman’s pieces,” Park said. “Cups and sushi dishes are especially popular among our customers.”

Additional reporting by Lee Hae-joo, Contributing writer.

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His biscuit windlights


By Seo Jung-min [estyle@joongang.co.kr]

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