Kimi Nii – Vintage Pair of Postmodernist/Brutalist Stoneware Wood-Fired Sculptures, Signed

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Kimi Nii – Pair of Postmodernist Stoneware Sculptures, Wood-Fired, Signed

Dimensions:

3 in. H × 3.6 in. D (zig-zag pattern)

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Dimensions:

3 in. H × 3.6 in. D (zig-zag pattern)

3 in. H × 3.75 in. D (swirl pattern)

This pair of hand-built stoneware vessels by Kimi Nii (b. 1947) showcases the artist’s distinctive style of Japanese ceramic traditions with Brazilian modernist aesthetics. Each piece, wood-fired and signed on the underside, demonstrates Nii’s hallmark approach to surface and form; alternating between rhythmic zig-zag incisions and spiraling motifs. Both works remain in good condition, with light wear consistent with age.

Artist Biography
Kimi Nii was born in Hiroshima, Japan, in 1947 and emigrated to Brazil in 1962. Her practice bridges cultural lineages, blending Japanese ceramic philosophy—particularly the embrace of asymmetry, imperfection, and natural firing effects—with the geometric rigor of Brazilian modernism. Working primarily in stoneware, Nii is celebrated for her restrained forms that often evoke architectural mass and timeless archetypes.

Her work is represented in major public collections, including:

Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo

Museu de Arte Contemporânea da Universidade de São Paulo (MAC USP)

Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Rio de Janeiro

Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia

Nii has exhibited extensively in Brazil and internationally, positioning her as one of the foremost ceramicists working at the intersection of Japanese heritage and Brazilian postmodern design. See less