About
Petra de Vree is a Dutch ceramic artist. Her work has been shaped by many years of living and working in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These experiences have a strong influence on her artistic carrier.
She expresses herself primarily through female figurative sculptures. Via the human form, Petra explores themes such as strength, balance, growth, and fertility. Her figures express both intimacy and proud, inviting the viewer to connect on an emotional level.
After working for many years in furniture design, handmade paper, and object-making, Petra returned to clay in 2006. While living in the Bolivian highlands, she rediscovered her love for this material and developed the sculptural style that defines her work today.
Later, during her second time in Asia, her focus on the female form deepened. In Bangladesh, where women’s talents are often undervalued, she consciously chose to focus on beauty and optimism. The bright colors of saris, the richness of the land, and organic natural forms became important sources of inspiration.
In Vietnam, Petra created work inspired by the landscape and by symbolic plants, especially the lotus. The lotus represents purity, renewal, and inner strength. Her sculptures are now part of collections around the world, from Canada to Australia, and from Norway and France to Japan and Vietnam.
Petra de Vree currently works from studios in The Hague and Wageningen, the Netherlands.
Artist Statement
Living and working across four continents has gently shaped my artistic vision. I connected with people from diverse cultures, and their colors and forms have gradually become a quiet but constant source of inspiration. As a woman, I express myself through female figures – proud and self-assured, yet also tender and vulnerable.
With my work I also want to reflect on the intimate bond between humans and nature. I am inspired by organic forms such as seed pods, landscapes, fruits, and marine life, often gathering natural materials that become personal treasures in my studio. At the same time, I feel a growing concern about humanity’s increasing distance from the natural world. Through my sculptures, I seek to honor nature’s beauty and resilience, while also acknowledging its fragility. For me, caring for the earth is inseparable from caring for ourselves.
