Journal

Rinck x Arnold d’Alger, the Presence of the Artist’s Hand

For its second participation at PAD London, Rinck presents a series of unique ceramics created with Arnold d’Alger. From small vases to large-scale pieces, the ensemble continues a dialogue around ornament and material, giving the artist’s hand a visible presence among Rinck’s collections.

The collaboration began with a personal encounter. After discovering Arnold d’Alger’s work, Valentin Goux commissioned a bespoke decorative scheme for his Paris apartment. A friendship developed, followed by several projects, including the ornamentation of the fireplace in the private salon of Rinck’s gallery on rue de Beaune.

For this commission, unveiled when the gallery opened in January 2024, the artist drew on Rinck’s bronze archives. The historical models offered curves and rhythms that he reinterpreted in his own artistic language. The fireplace carries a trace of Rinck’s history while making room for a contemporary interpretation.

“We share a respect for historical objects, not as relics, but as starting points.” Valentin Goux, President and artistic director of Rinck

At PAD London, this dialogue takes on a new dimension. Following a creation integrated into the architecture of a particular space, Rinck wanted to give Arnold the freedom to develop a ceramic ensemble that stands in its own right.

Rinck’s role was to compose the whole, considering the choice of forms, their dimensions and their relationship with the furniture. The decoration remained the artist’s domain. The materials and colours of the collections provided a shared framework within which his drawing could unfold freely.

The series brings together found and vintage objects, long familiar to Arnold’s practice, and larger forms made specifically for the project. Objects with existing histories meet new surfaces, ready to receive the artist’s hand.

The ensemble reveals itself at different scales. Small vases invite viewers to come closer, follow a line or examine layers of colour. Larger pieces take their place alongside the furniture and help shape the space.

This variation allows the drawing to shift in character. On some ceramics, it follows the curves of the body and extends towards the neck. On the larger, darker pieces, the surface is approached almost as a canvas, supporting a more painterly composition.

Landscapes, floral and botanical motifs, and free compositions run throughout the series. Their unity lies in Arnold’s distinctive style, in the way he lays down a line and preserves its spontaneity. According to Valentin Goux, flowers from his garden, particularly dahlias, also inspired some of the botanical motifs, bringing a personal reference into the collaboration.

Blue and white provide an initial anchor in the history of ceramics. The palette then expands in response to Rinck’s collections. Browns resonate with wood and bronze; black echoes lacquer; deep greens create further connections between objects and furniture.

Throughout these decorations, the artist’s hand remains visible. Lines overlap, colours meet and irregularities endure. Among pieces whose precise craftsmanship tends to conceal the stages of their making, the ceramics make the creative gesture immediately tangible.

Ceramics offer another way of looking at material. The finished piece retains the trace of the artist’s work. Each surface invites viewers to consider both the drawing and the way it was applied.

“The layering, the reworking and the irregularities of the line are evidence of a presence.” Valentin Goux, President and artistic director of Rinck

These creations occupy a space between artwork and functional object. Some can hold flowers; all are intended to draw the eye and find their place in an interior.

Valentin said about them “I consider them collectible pieces, just like our furniture.”

Presented within Rinck’s selection at PAD London, they contribute to a composition in which furniture, lighting, materials and artworks respond to one another. Their presence extends Rinck’s approach to conceiving interiors as a whole, giving each object and each craft its place within the space.