Wietske van Leeuwen
Wietske van Leeuwen (born 22 September 1965 in Rotterdam) is a Dutch ceramic artist living in Monnickendam. She makes ornate, baroque‑style ceramics featuring shells and fruit.
She studied handicrafts and textiles in Delft (1984–1989) and then ceramic design at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam (1989–1993). After graduating, she started a studio in Amsterdam. In 1996 she was nominated for the NPS Cultuurprijs, a TV competition for young artists. She has received grants from the Mondriaan Fonds. Since 1997 she has taught ceramics and drawing at Altra College in Amsterdam.
Her work draws on 17th‑century still lifes and cabinets of curiosities. She builds pots, vases and candle holders from many small prints of seashells and fruit, often using plaster moulds to make lots of copies. Some pieces have tiny images on the bottom, giving the impression of an underwater treasure.
Van Leeuwen’s work is in the collections of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen and the Princessehof Ceramics Museum. In 2010, a Kunsthal show featured works from Boijmans’ modern ceramic collection, including hers, alongside other Dutch ceramists. A Studio Pottery description says she creates striking baroque objects from shell and fruit prints, arranged like 17th‑century curiosities, using moulds to make many copies and combining dish shapes with decorative garnitures.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 23:51 (CET).