Pol Quadens Belgian designer

1960   Pol Quadens was born in Brussels. His father was active in the fields of composites and metal industry, and Pol is therefore surrounded by the world of materials since his early childhood. After his artistic studies, he starts restoring vintage cars. This experience makes him gain strong practical skills and deep knowledge of all types of materials.

1987    First creations and production of objects. His sensitivity and passion for the arts lead him to the creation of functional artworks. His CD shelf has sold more than 100,000 pieces and has become iconic in its category.

1995    Pol meets with an engineer of the Donnay workshops who makes him discover carbon fiber. He produces the C 06 piece, one of the lightest chairs in the world – 950 grams – that proves commercially very successful.

2000    Release of the 4 inches high Strada women shoes, entirely handmade in carbon fiber. These singular shoes feature a revolutionary detail: they are high but they have no heels. Madonna loves the concept and wears the shoes during one of her concerts.

2007    Pol Quadens enriches his creations by working with new materials and begins to include Corian®. He designs a whole range of furniture pieces for Brussels-based OVO Editions.

2013    Pol Quadens is back to his roots and starts producing high end unique pieces and limited editions in stainless steel.

2014    Publication of his first monograph by Parisian publisher Somogy and distributed by Flammarion.

2017    He signs his iconic « Infinity » bookshelf, an entirely handmade stainless steel piece which has required more than 400 hours of work.

2018    In addition to his designer activities, Pol Quadens shifts also towards art and monumental sculpture and starts developing his work to sculptures. His latest creation is « 16 Stones », a 4.5m high work inspired by the primitive « Cairn », which consists in marking a site or a common area by piling up stones. « 16 Stones » is the first creation of its kind and Pol is now developing the concept for international private collections -interiors and sculpture parks-.

2019    Well established design gallery from Paris starts to work with Pol on the Brafa art fair Brussels in january.

He starts a colaboration with a top agent for the sculpture works in New York

2020: The installation of the Flint 2020 in Switzerland in june is a success besides, he worked hard during the Covid 19 time on a new creation, the Lockdown bench in stainless steel. Pol works now with three agents one in London the other in Brussels and a third one between the US and Europe.

In October a new sculpture Flint II 450 cm high will be raised on Bd de la Woluwe Brussels This will be his first public sculpture.

2021 Despite the covid time Pol works a lot in the workshop and realises sculptures such as « lockdown bench » or « 3 blocs » table he creates and installs the Vertigo II in a private collection in Belgium another one the vertigo III for an important collection in Switzerland. His city orders him a circular bench for a small place in Woluwe St Lambert: the « Circle bench ».

2022 The edition of Vertigo have a good success it’s no less than 3 vertigos that were installed in different places in Switzerland and Belgium. Pol works with auction houses in Paris and Brussels which are a very good way to make known his work and to sell at good prices range his creations.

2023 He participates to the set up and furnitures of the clothes shop of his son Milan who has created his own clothes brand « Paradox Brussels »and opened a shop in centre Brussels. He meets his new agent for international design fairs the young and talented GDJ design who presents his creations with success at PAD Paris in April and in October in London at PAD London. He’s selected by the prestigious auction house Simon de Pury for a pair of pebble tables which will be sold out. He meets a Parisian gallery dedicated to small sculptures and starts to set up a contract with this gallery for the coming year.

2023 is also the year of his first philosophical essai « Philosophie de la soustraction » published in Paris at L’harmattan / Les impliqués a very good edition house. A conference is on the papers for the 29 th of january at Wolubilis in Woluwe St Lambert.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

1985 «85 years later», Horta Museum, Brussels

1987 «Ligne», Galerie de la Reine, Brussels

1990 « Pol Quadens », Le Botanique, Brussels

1992- 1994- 2010 Biennale Interieur, Courtrai

1993- 1994- 1995- 1996- 1997- 1998 Salone del mobile, Milan

2000 Swatch exhibition, Tribeca Hotel, New York

2004 « Strada shoes », Première Classe, Paris

2006 « Strada shoes », Vierre Via Montenapoleone, Milan

2007 « Inside Outdoors », Pierre Bergé & Associés, Brussels

2008 « Fantômes  de meubles », Galerie du Passage, Paris

2010 « Ghost Furniture », Rainbow Fine Arts, New York

2011 « Epreuves d’artiste », Pierre Bergé & Associés, Paris

2013 « Pol Quadens », Galerie SH, Brussels

2014 « Entre deux chaises un livre », Villa Empain, Brussels

2014 « Pol Quadens », Hotel Richelieu, Pierre Bergé & associés, Paris

2015 « Pol Quadens », galerie LKFF, Brussels

2016 « Pol Quadens », Hotel Richelieu, Pierre Bergé & associés, Paris

« Pol Quadens », Galerie Futur Antérieur, Brussels

« Pol Quadens », NHOW Hotel, Milan

2017 BRAFA, galerie Futur Antérieur, Brussels

2018 COLLECTIBLE design fair, Brussels

2019 BRAFA, galerie Maison Rapin, Paris

2022: PAD Paris with GDJ design gallery
PAD London with GDJ design gallery

2023: La Galerie du Vert Chasseur Brussels.

SELECTED INSTALLATIONS

2010 Les portes Louise Brussels (BE)

2012 Les oiseaux Samsara Luberon (FR)

2014  Vertigo (2) Private collection Ohain (BE)

Vertigo (2) Private collection Namur (BE)

2015 Vertigo (1) Private collection Brussels (BE)

2016 Ovoid Private collection Ohain (BE)

2018 16 stones Château de Vullierens S/ Morges (CH)

2020 – Flint 2020 Château de Vullierens/ Morges Switzerland
– Flint II Boulevard de la Woluwe Woluwe st Lambert Brussels Elyx building

2021 Vertigo I private collection Gembloux
 
2021 Vertigo II Private collecion Switzerland
 
2022  Circle Bench Boulevard de la Woluwe Brussels @ Elyx building place.

PUBLICATIONS

1992  Pol Quadens 80 pages 1000 ex  Editor Imschoot Gent

2014 De l’idée au dessin, du dessin vers l’idée

225 pages 2000 ex Somogy Editions / Flammarion Paris

Preface : Jean-Louis Servan-Schreiber

2020 Back to steel

Editions : Snel éditions 2020. 108 pages cartonné, full quadri, 500 exemplaires. 320/240 mm

2023 « Philosophie de la soustraction » editions L’harmattan / Les impliqués

MAIN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

Karl Lagerfeld

Baronne A de Rohtschild

Jacques Grange

Pierre Passebon

Jean Louis Servan –Schreiber

Madonna

Christian Louboutin

Rolf Fehlbaum

Château de Vullierens

David Sylvian

Sir Norman Foster

Terry de Gunsburg

Pierre Bergé

Antoine Godeau

Galila Barzilai-Hollander

Robert Bovet

Thierry Barbier Mueller
 
 
 
 
CONTEMPORARY ART - ART MINIMAL