Catherine Barjansky was born in Ukraine in 1890 and was a sculptor, writer, visual artist, and educator.
At the age of twenty, she studied sculpture in Monaco. She is primarily known for her sculptures for the Belgian ceramics company Boch Frères Keramis (later known as Royal Boch).
She taught in Rome, where she founded a school in 1918, and in New York after 1939.
She created portraits of personalities such as busts of Freud and Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, of whom she was close.
She produced several female figures for Boch. These ceramic statuettes often reflect the Art Deco style prevalent between 1920 and 1930.
Barjansky's work often depicts elegant female figures in stylized poses, with flowing dresses or holding flowers. They are usually made of earthenware and feature glazed finishes, sometimes with gilded details.
She held an exhibition of 70 "miniatures" in the capital of Belgium.
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Style Art Deco
"The name Art Deco was assigned in the 1960s, at the exhibition "Les Années 25" held in Paris at the Museum of Decorative Arts.
The first pieces could be seen at the International Exhibition of "Decorative Arts and Modern Industry" held in Paris in 1925. This exhibition was a direct response to the Turin exhibitions of 1902 and Milan of 1906.
The Art Deco style emerged between 1920 and 1940 and is represented by symmetrical, rectilinear lines, abstract designs, and bold colors.
It featured the implementation of exotic materials such as parchment, shagreen (the skin of a small shark or ray), chrome pieces, and enamels, as well as ivory and mother-of-pearl inlays.
In contrast, Art Nouveau was more focused on asymmetrical, curved lines inspired by nature."
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