Description
Things Made Over Time is a sweeping survey of Hylton Nel’s ceramics, from whimsical plates to insightful sculptures that blend history, humor, and critique. Featuring a foreword by Dior’s Kim Jones and photographs by Pieter Hugo, this volume captures Nel’s unique artistry and timeless appeal. An essential addition for lovers of contemporary ceramics.
Things Made Over Time offers an expansive survey of South African artist-potter Hylton Nel’s ceramics, spanning his career from the 1960s to 2024. Beginning with pieces created during his student days in Antwerp and culminating in plates painted in his Calitzdorp studio in the Klein Karoo, this collection reflects Nel’s evolution as a singular voice in ceramic arts. In his eighties, Nel continues to captivate a loyal circle of collectors, while reaching new audiences in 2024 when Dior Men’s creative director, Kim Jones, showcased a collection inspired by Nel’s life and work. Jones, who contributes the foreword, highlights Nel’s vast sources of inspiration-from eighteenth-century Staffordshire to Tang Dynasty China-visible in Nel’s practice and meticulously curated home, documented here in a photographic series by Pieter Hugo.
This volume is further enriched by the artist’s own words, accompanying images of his plates, bowls, and vases, offering insights into his blend of curiosity, aesthetics, and functionality. Art historian Tamar Garb contributes a thoughtful essay on Nel’s whimsical depictions of cats, which serve as symbolic witnesses and surrogates. Garb observes that for Nel, ‘making is an act of defiance and life,’ with each figure and plate a vessel for observation and critique. With references spanning geopolitics, pets, and sexuality, Things Made Over Time captures Nel’s contemporary perspective, rooted in the timeless tradition of ceramics. This book is a must-have for admirers of a truly unique artistic legacy.
Hylton Nel, born in 1941 in N'kana, Zambia, is an artist-potter based in Calitzdorp, South Africa. His ceramics-plates, bowls, vases, and figurative pieces-are known for their witty and sometimes poignant hand-drawn imagery and script. Nel's work blends decorative arts with literary and historical references, showcasing a unique iconography that spans from Madonnas and angels to cats and playful symbols. His work has been featured in major exhibitions, including This plate is what I have to say at Charleston in Sussex (2023) and Hylton Nel at 80 at The Fine Art Society in London (2021), among others.
Kim Jones OBE is a visionary British fashion designer whose work seamlessly blends high fashion with streetwear sensibilities. Renowned for his tenure as creative director of Dior Men, Jones has redefined menswear by incorporating diverse cultural influences and artistic collaborations. His innovative designs, often characterized by bold silhouettes and intricate detailing, challenge traditional notions of masculinity in fashion. A graduate of Central Saint Martins, he has garnered acclaim for his ability to merge art, music, and fashion. Recognized with an OBE for his contributions to the industry, Jones continues to influence contemporary style with his audacious vision.
Tamar Garb is Durning Professor in the History of Art at University College London. She has published widely on questions of gender and sexuality in modern and contemporary art as well as on photography from Africa, the work of women artists and feminist aesthetics. Her curatorial practice includes Portia Zvavahera: Zvakazarurwa, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge (2024); Beyond the Binary: Santu Mofokeng and David Goldblatt, The Walther Collection, Neu-Ulm (2023); Conversations in Letters & Lines: William Kentridge and Vivienne Koorland, Fruitmarket, Edinburgh (2016); Distance & Desire: Encounters with the African Archive, The Walther Collection, Neu-Ulm (2014); and Figures & Fictions: Contemporary South African Photography, V&A, London (2011).
