Michael Cleff

(* 1961 Bochum)
lebt und arbeitet ion Bochum und Mühlheim a.d. Ruhr
1961 in Bochum geboren
1990 – 1996 Sculpture studies, Düsseldorf Art Academy, master student with Prof. Fritz Schwegler
Lives and works in Bochum and Mülheim an der Ruhr

Preise und Stipendien (Auswahl)

2021 "Agathe B, Rainer Gross und Michel Cleff", Verein für aktuelle Kunst im Ruhrgebiet, Oberhausen, Germany
2020 "one artists show, 2. Preis, mit Galerie Geißler Bentler", art Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
2004 "1st European Ceramic Contest, Bronze Prize", Athen
2002 "18ème Biennale internationale de Céramique d ' Art de Vallauris, Grand Prix", Vallauris, France
1999 "Staatspreis des Landes Nordrhein Westfalen", Der MinisterPräsident des Landes NRW, Düsseldorf, Germany
1997 "50° Premio Faenza", Concorso Internationale della Ceramica dÁrte, Farenza, Italy
"Richard Bampi Preis, 2. Preis", Gesellschaft der Keramikfreunde e. V. Neuss, Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany

Ausstellungen (Auswahl)

2023 "Built", Galerie Geißler Bentler, Bonn, Germany
2021 "Intervention II", kunstraum Friesenstraße, Hannover, Germany
2020 "Vibrant Systems", Stiftung KERAMION, Frechen, Germany
2019 "Michael Cleff – Mischung", Kunstforum Solothurn, Solothurn, Switzerland
2018 "An den Rändern", Gesellschaft der Freunde junger Kunst, Baden-Baden, Germany
2017 "Liquids", Centre céramique contemporaine, La Borne, France
2017 "An den Rändern", Kunstmuseum Ahlen, Ahlen, Germany
2014 "Shifting", Carlernst Kürten Stiftung, Unna, Germany
2014 "Über fast rechte Winkel", Landesmuseum Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
2012 "Sculptures Céramiques", Galerie Hélène Porée, Paris, France
2007 Galerie Pierre, Paris, France
2005 "Art Karlsruhe", One Artist Show, Karlsruhe, Germany
2004 "Michael Cleff – Sculptures", Galerie Puls, Brüssel, Belgium
2003 "Garth Clark Gallery", Long Island City, NY, USA
2002 Galerie b15, München, Germany
2002 Lauenburgischer Kunstverein, Büchen, Germany
2001 Galerie Kossdorf, Wien, Austria
1998 Garth Clark Gallery, New York, USA

Arbeiten in Museen (Auswahl)

American Craft Museum, New York, USA
Long Beach Museum, Long Beach / California, USA
Mint Museum of Art and Design, Charlotte / North Carolina, USA
Newark Museum, New Jersey, USA
Racine Art Museum, Racine / Wisconsin, USA
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston / Texas, USA
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine / Wisconsin, USA
Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Mino, Japan
World Ceramic Center, Icheon City, South Korea
Musée Nationale de Céramique, Sèvres, France
Musée Magnelli, Vallauris, France
Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche, Faenza, Italy
Musée Ariana, Genf, Switzerland
Badisches Landesmuseum, Karlsruhe, Germany
Grassimuseum, Leipzig, Germany
Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany
Keramikmuseum Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Keramikmuseum Westerwald, Höhr-Grenzhausen, Germany
Keramion - Museum für Zeitgenössische Keramik, Frechen, Germany
Kunstmuseum, Ahlen/Westfalen, Germany
Kunstgewerbemuseum Schloß Pillnitz, Dresden, Germany
Kunstsammlungen Veste Coburg, Coburg, Germany
Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
Städtische Museen Stadt Landshut, Landshut, Germany
Württembergisches Landesmuseum, Stuttgart, Germany
Gyeonggi Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art, Icheon City,, South Korea

1990 - 1996 Art Academy Düsseldorf, master student of Prof Fritz Schwegler

Solo exhibitions (selection)
2024 Am Rechteck, Kunstforum Solothurn
2023 Built, Geißler Bentler Gallery, Bonn
2021 Intervention II - Michael Cleff, kunstraum friesenstrasse, Hanover
2020 Vibrant Systems, KERAMION Foundation, Frechen
art KARLSRUHE, One-Artist-Show, Galerie Bernd Bentler, Bonn
2019 Michael Cleff - Mixture, Kunstforum Solothurn
2018 On the margins, Society of Friends of Young Art, Baden-Baden
2017 At the margins, Kunstmuseum Ahlen/Westphalia
Liquids, Centre céramique contemporaine, La Borne, France
2014 Shifting, Carlernst Kürten Foundation, Unna
2014 About almost right angles, Landesmuseum Oldenburg
2012 Sculptures Céramiques, Galerie Hélène Porée, Paris
2008 Michael Cleff, Hüfingen City Museum
2007 Gallery Frank Steyeart, Ghent
2006 Produzentengalerie Ortenau, Offenburg
2005 Between the things, Stadtmuseum Hattingen
2004 Michael Cleff - Sculptures, Puls Gallery, Brussels
2003 Garth Clark Gallery, Long Island City, NY
2002 Gallery b15, Munich
2002 Lauenburgischer Kunstverein, Büchen
2001 Gallery Kossdorf, Vienna
1998 Garth Clark Gallery, New York

Awards (selection)
2020 art KARLSRUHE Prize, 2nd Prize
2004 1st European Ceramic Contest, Bronze Prize, Athens
2002 18ème Biennale Internationale de Céramique d'Art de Vallauris, Grand Prix
1999 State Prize of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
1997 50º Premio Faenza, Concorso Internazionale della Ceramica d'Arte
1990 Richard Bampi Prize

Works in museums (selection)
American Craft Museum, New York, USA
Long Beach Museum, Long Beach / California, USA
Mint Museum of Art and Design, Charlotte / North Carolina, USA
Newark Museum, New Jersey, USA
Racine Art Museum, Racine / Wisconsin, USA
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston / Texas, USA
Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine / Wisconsin, USA
Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Mino, Japan
World Ceramic Centre, Icheon City, South Korea
Musée Nationale de Céramique, Sèvres, France
Musée Magnelli, Vallauris, France
Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche, Faenza, Italy
Musée Ariana, Geneva, Switzerland
Baden State Museum, Karlsruhe
Grassimuseum, Leipzig
Museum of Applied Arts, Frankfurt
Keramion - Museum for Contemporary Ceramics, Frechen
Museum of Art, Ahlen/Westphalia
Museum of Decorative Arts Pillnitz Castle, Dresden
Art Collections Veste Coburg, Coburg
Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mannheim
Württemberg State Museum, Stuttgart

For many years, Michael Cleff's sculptures have impressed us with their concentrated power, which they derive from their simplicity, their unity and the rigour with which Cleff pursues his concept and constantly pushes it forward, studying it in the process and drawing new conclusions from it.
studying it, drawing new conclusions and gaining further insights. A few formal elements are carefully varied and brought into ever new relationships. Cleff's minimalist concept is based on recurring basic geometric shapes - circle, square, rectangle, ellipse - and a reduced, monochrome colour scheme. It is as if he has decided in favour of certain tones or a certain number of syllables, from the different combinations of which he now creates ever new tone sequences or lines of verse. Especially when several of Cleff's works can be viewed at the same time, there is a meditative equilibrium; the calm equilibrium of someone who seeks to comprehend phenomena through the ever new declination of what is observed.

Gabi Dewald, journalist

Michael Cleff
Caprice 19

Michael Cleff
Marui 4

Michael Cleff
Caprice 26

Michael Cleff
Liquids 46

Michael Cleff
Plan 57

Michael Cleff
Plan 62

Michael Cleff
Marui 2

Michael Cleff
Großer Plan 11

Michael Cleff
Caprice 14

Michael Cleff
Plan 60

Michael Cleff
Plan 64

Michael Cleff
Plan 67

Michael Cleff
Caprice 18

Michael Cleff
Plan 65

Michael Cleff
Großer Plan 15

Michael Cleff
Caprice 21

Michael Cleff
Plan 49

Michael Cleff
Caprice 16

Michael Cleff
Plan 53

Michael Cleff
Kleiner Plan 61

Michael Cleff
Marui 3

Michael Cleff
Plan 59

Michael Cleff
Caprice 22