Kristin McKirdy Canadian, b. 1958
Overview
Untitled, 2019
Kristin McKirdy studied art, art history and ceramics in France and in North America, at University of California, Los Angeles, where she was awarded a Masters of Fine Arts, and at the Banff Center for the Arts in Canada. Following a period teaching at Iceland University of the Arts, in 1993 she moved to France. From the outset, McKirdy broke away from the utilitarian side of ceramics to focus instead on a personal sculptural expression. Her rigour and command of technique serve a body of work through which she intends to convey the spiritual dimension of ceramic: a timeless and universal material. Informed by a vast knowledge of history, her creations are founded on the idea of the vessel as a metaphor for the human body and a witness, from time immemorial, to human activity. Following an artist’s residency at the Manufacture de Sèvres in 2008, in 2012 the Musée National de Céramique held a retrospective of her work, which then travelled to La Piscine in Roubaix and Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design in Bordeaux. In 2009 McKirdy was awarded the Prix Liliane Bettencourt pour l’Intelligence de la Main®. Kris Van Assche commissioned her for a series of wearable pieces for the 2016 Dior Homme collection. Her work in sculptural ceramics is represented by Jousse Entreprise in Paris and Pierre Marie Giraud in Brussels. In 2020 Kristin McKirdy was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Her work has been acquired by national collections, including Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, Musée National de Céramique in Sèvres and Centre National des Arts Plastiques.
Works
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Untitled, 2019
