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Interior Designers Confuse Vases with Sculpture

mIchael binkley sketch of a flower vase with caption that it is not a fine art sculpture

Michelle and I enjoy perusing interior design magazines and watching TV shows of same. I get a giggle when a designer enthuses on how they have included a flower vase into the space and include it under the category of art.

A flower vase is a utilitarian object and not a sculpture. I’ve spoofed Magritte’s famous painting, “Ceci N’est Pas Une Pipe” above. A flower vase is a three dimensional element, yes, but it is not a sculpture. It is not surprising to me, as fine art sculptures are just not promoted nearly as much as paintings are, and therefore they are not on the interior designer’s radar. Those people who depend on interior designers to fill their personal or work space with art should at least be aware of the possibility of including fine art sculpture so they can point their designer in that direction. It is up to artists and galleries to promote fine art sculpture so it is more pervasive in society’s consciousness.

Fine art sculpture can lend a wonderful element to an interior space. It can be contextual in that it relates to the space by materials or shape, or it can contrast for the same reasons. It occupies space within the room, as opposed to the painting which lays flat on the wall. For this reason, we can interact with sculpture more directly than a painting. It can challenge us in ways that paintings cannot as sculpture can be experienced not only visually, but with other senses such as touch, sound and smell.

When decorating your environment, think of incorporating fine art sculpture into a space and not rely solely on a vase.