Bente Hansen

Bente Hansen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1943. She trained at the Copenhagen School of Art and Design, where she was a pupil of Richard Kjærgaard, who inspired a whole generation of talented ceramists such as Bodil Manz, Ursula Munch-Petersen and Alev Siesbye.
After several years at the helm of one of the world's most renowned ceramics departments, Bente Hansen became one of the leading lights of Danish ceramics and a teacher. Often referred to as a kaleidoscope of Bauhaus forms or a reference to Malevich and the Russian avant-garde, Bente Hansen's work is a profound reflection on geometry and color. On stoneware-turned and glazed forms, the artist applies colors by transfer in numerous layers, each layer requiring a new firing.
While Bente Hansen's shapes remain simple, the application of color tends to create a subtle balance between form and expression.
With a focus on gold, silver and copper, the decorations in the works on display bear witness to an elaborate construction where the effects of transparency open up a depth that allows us to reconstitute the "life" of the work.

Exhibition catalogue
Bente Hansen in Connaissance des Arts