Yann Masseyeff — Sculptor and Ceramic Artist

Yann Masseyeff is a sculptor and ceramic artist whose work lies at the crossroads of instinct, time, and individuality. Moving early from drawing to modelling, he found in stoneware a medium that allowed him to reconnect with simple, ancestral gestures. A finger, a wooden stick, a pressure: “One form leads to another,” he explains. In this constant dialogue with matter, each sculpture is born from intuition, refined through balance, and completed at the right moment — neither before nor after.

 

“I work stoneware in a raw way, with my fingers and a simple wooden stick. In this total freedom, a certain gesture has emerged — completely spontaneous.”

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His journey began after academic studies, when he became a bookseller specializing in art books. Surrounded by antiquarians and experts, he handled rare works and became familiar with the codes and perspectives of the art world. This first experience, deeply rooted in visual culture and knowledge of artworks, still nourishes his artistic practice today.​

 

“My first profession — as a bookseller specializing in decorative art — led me to work with art experts, museum curators and antique dealers.”

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His philosophy combines rigor and freedom. Rigor, because any superfluous addition destroys the initial impulse. Freedom, because each unique piece invites the viewer to project their own vision. He likes to compare this experience to watching clouds — you see what you choose to see. His sculptures evoke primitive forms, awaken ancestral memories, and invite reflection on our place in time, our relationship with doubt and uncertainty, and what we make of our lives.​

 

“I make no preliminary drawings. I take the stoneware, give the first movements, like a first curve, and the sculpture shapes itself, drawing its strength from this instinctive dialogue.”

“The ancestral graphic forms that emerge without my seeking them were already there, thousands of years ago. These gestures are shared by all of us. They form a universal heritage.”

 

His path has led him to exhibit in places as diverse as Place Vendôme in Paris, the Museum of Fine Arts in Carcassonne, and the PAD in London and Paris. In 2024, he took part in Design Shanghai and BAD Bordeaux, confirming the international scope of his work. His sculptures have also found their place in hotels, galleries, and private collections in New York, Florence, Valencia, Monaco, and beyond.

 

Collaboration is an integral part of his process. With the Daum crystal manufacture, he created Évolution, a crystal piece that dialogues with the house’s history. With the artist Marjoo, he invented an infinite sculptural alphabet — the Glyff — where geometric precision meets mineral trace. With designer Reda Amalou, he brings sculpture and furniture together, creating unique pieces in precious materials.

 

“When you come closer to the surface, each point reveals a unique sculpture.
Like all of us.
My works remind us that each person sees through their own convictions — that no truth is absolute.
Between these forms, I like to leave an empty space — that of the future, the unknown, the place yet to be taken.”

 

His sculptures and stoneware pieces can be seen in the Artwork section of this website. Some are currently exhibited at Secret Gallery (Paris), 50Cinquante (L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue) and Monokeros Gallery (Shanghai).

 

Today, Yann Masseyeff continues his journey with new projects. He will exhibit in Shanghai and Geneva in 2026. Several new collaborations with other creators are in preparation, along with upcoming openings that will extend this dialogue between matter, gesture, and meaning.

 

At the heart of his work remains a simple conviction:

 

“Art is not an answer but an invitation.”

 

Each of Yann Masseyeff’s works opens a space for reflection — a suspended moment that returns to us this essential question: “What are you doing with your life?”

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LOOK FURTHER → discover the artwork

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About Yann Masseyeff photo credit : Mikael Benard