Tableau

16 Sep 2017 — 7 Jan 2018 at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, United States

23 December 2017

Queen’s Folly, Marie Antoinette, 2015. Richard Cleaver (born 1952). Hand-built ceramic, wood, freshwater pearls, quartz, Swarovski crystals, metal, gold leaf, painted in oil, 31 1/2 × 12 × 9 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Dan Meyers. © Richard Cleaver.

Known for Queen’s Closet in the Museum’s Contemporary Gallery, Cleaver creates elaborate figurative sculptures full of hidden compartments to capture the lives and secrets of historical figures and personal acquaintances.

The artist is fascinated by monarchies, mythology, and religion, and these themes form the subjects of his work. Constructing the sculptures in clay, Cleaver then paints meticulous patterns and applies precious and semiprecious stones to create the sumptuously decorated surfaces. Tableau: The Art of Richard Cleaver surveys the artist’s most recent sculptures and the private worlds they reveal.

Cleaver received his bachelor of fine arts degree from Maryland Institute College of Art and completed a master of fine arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Delaware Art Museum

The Delaware Art Museum connects people to art, offering an inclusive and essential community resource that through its collections, exhibitions, and programs generates creative energy that sustains, enriches, empowers, and inspires.

Museum profile

Location

Wilmington, United States

Founded in

1912

House on Fire V, 2014. Richard Cleaver (born 1952). Hand-built ceramic, wood, freshwater pearls, quartz, Swarovski crystals, metal, gold leaf, painted in oil, 22 × 8 1/2 × 6 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Dan Meyers. © Richard Cleaver.

Hern the Hunter V, 2016. Richard Cleaver (born 1952). Hand-built ceramic, wood, freshwater pearls, quartz, Swarovski crystals, metal, and gold leaf, painted in oil, 27 1/2 x 10 x 10 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Dan Meyers. © Richard Cleaver.

Divorced Beheaded Died, 2015. Richard Cleaver (born 1952). Hand-built ceramic, wood, freshwater pearls, quartz, Swarovski crystals, metal, gold leaf, painted in oil, 26 × 8 × 7 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Dan Meyers. © Richard Cleaver.

House on Fire V, 2014. Richard Cleaver (born 1952). Hand-built ceramic, wood, freshwater pearls, quartz, Swarovski crystals, metal, gold leaf, painted in oil, 22 × 8 1/2 × 6 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Dan Meyers. © Richard Cleaver.
Hern the Hunter V, 2016. Richard Cleaver (born 1952). Hand-built ceramic, wood, freshwater pearls, quartz, Swarovski crystals, metal, and gold leaf, painted in oil, 27 1/2 x 10 x 10 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Dan Meyers. © Richard Cleaver.
Divorced Beheaded Died, 2015. Richard Cleaver (born 1952). Hand-built ceramic, wood, freshwater pearls, quartz, Swarovski crystals, metal, gold leaf, painted in oil, 26 × 8 × 7 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Dan Meyers. © Richard Cleaver.

Hern the Hunter V, 2016. Richard Cleaver (born 1952). Hand-built ceramic, wood, freshwater pearls, quartz, Swarovski crystals, metal, and gold leaf, painted in oil, 27 1/2 x 10 x 10 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Dan Meyers. © Richard Cleaver.
Divorced Beheaded Died, 2015. Richard Cleaver (born 1952). Hand-built ceramic, wood, freshwater pearls, quartz, Swarovski crystals, metal, gold leaf, painted in oil, 26 × 8 × 7 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Dan Meyers. © Richard Cleaver.
House on Fire V, 2014. Richard Cleaver (born 1952). Hand-built ceramic, wood, freshwater pearls, quartz, Swarovski crystals, metal, gold leaf, painted in oil, 22 × 8 1/2 × 6 inches. Courtesy of the artist. Photograph by Dan Meyers. © Richard Cleaver.