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Léopold L. Foulem: Reshaping Function

Image of Léopold Foulem sitting with solid yellow background

Léopold L. Foulem: Reshaping Function brings together four works from the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia’s permanent collection by internationally renowned Acadian ceramic artist Léopold L. Foulem. Each artwork offers a small yet compelling glimpse into distinct aspects of Foulem’s prolific body of work.  Known for his highly singular ceramics, he transforms our relationships with material culture, engaging us with specific histories that challenge expectations and definitions of form, style, and functionality.

Foulem inspired multiple generations of artists and students throughout his career which lasted more than half a century, showing in over forty solo exhibitions and hundreds of group exhibitions before his recent passing on February 18th, 2023 at the age of seventy-seven. He was a master in ceramic techniques and celebrated as an unforgettable artist and teacher who pushed ceramics beyond its limits. Often using art history, ideas of the ready-made, humour and provocation, Foulem’s ceramics became atypical sculptures, each object reframing important moments of craft and fine art histories.

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Léopold L. Foulem, Silhouette 3356, 2009. Gift of Marie-Paule Foulem, Caraquet, New Brunswick, 2013, with assistance from the Jean and Lloyd Shaw Endowment Fund
black and yellow ceramic vase with four legs
Léopold L. Foulem, Mounted Mirror-Black Vase with Gilt Decoration, 2007. Gift of Marie-Paule Foulem, Caraquet, New Brunswick, 2013, with assistance from the Jean and Lloyd Shaw Endowment Fund.
Maud Lewis, Three Black Cats, 1960s. Private collection.

MAUD LEWIS

Image of Léopold Foulem sitting with solid yellow background

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