NEVILLE FRENCH
Born 1955, lives Buninyong, Victoria, Australia
QUALIFICATIONS
2000
MA Fine Art, Research (Ceramics), RMIT University
1983
Certificate of Stoneware Glazes, Brisbane CAE
1977
Australia Council grant to work with master craftsman John Gilbert (b. 1935)
1976
Diploma of Fine Art (Ceramics), Ballarat CAE
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2026
Evening, Gallerysmith, Melbourne
2025
More than this, Shepparton Art Gallery (collaborative ceramics with Belinda Fox)
2024
From the Crest, Melbourne Design Week, Gallerysmith, Melbourne
The Light Crept In, Art Gallery of Ballarat (collaborative ceramics with Belinda Fox)
2022
Cloudlight, Gallerysmith, Melbourne
2021
Mutual Realities, Art Gallery of Ballarat (with Rhonda Baum)
2015
From the Landscape, Kerry Lowe Gallery, Sydney (with Cathy Franzi)
2013
Hua Ping, The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong (collaborative ceramics with Belinda Fox)
2010
Mossgreen Gallery, Melbourne
2009
Galerie Rosenhauer, Goettingen, Germany
2007
Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne
2004
Galerie Hors- Saison, Melbourne
2000
Charles Nodrum Gallery, Melbourne
1999
Nancy Margolis Gallery, NYC, USA
1997
Ararat Art Gallery, Victoria
Distelfink Gallery, Melbourne
1995
Distelfink Gallery, Melbourne
SELECTED CURATED / GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025
Sydney Contemporary, Gallerysmith, Carriageworks, Sydney
2024
Held, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Sydney
Surface Effect Ceramics Collection Stories, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Sydney
2023
XV PAST PRESENT FUTURE, Gallerysmith, Melbourne
2022
Craft Lab 22, Mining Exchange, Ballarat
2020
Federation University 150 Anniversary Trail, Art Gallery of Ballarat
2019
Making the Quiet Voices, Wayside Pavilion, Hobart
2018
Fieldwork, School of Clay and Art (SoCA), Melbourne
2017
Ceramics Collection 17, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Sydney
90x90 90 Artworks from 90 Years of Collecting, Whitehorse Arts Centre, Melbourne
2016
Contemporary Porcelain, Ten Australian Masters, Kerrie Lowe Gallery, Sydney
Highlights from the Victoria Ceramics Collection, Whitehorse Artspace, Melbourne
2015
Belonging: Australian Ceramics Triennial, ANU School of Art, Canberra
Contemporary Clay, Olsen Irwin Gallery, Sydney
Earth, Fire and Water 50 years of Shaping the Elements, Castlemaine Art Gallery, Victoria
2014
Terroir, Jamfactory at Seppeltsfield, South Australia
Australia/Korea Invitational Exhibition, Hanyang University Gallery, South Korea
The Course of Objects; The Fine Lines of Inquiry, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Sydney
Exhibition of Important Australian Ceramics, Mossgreen Gallery, Melbourne
2012
Enduring Forms Australian
Ceramics Triennale, Aptos Cruz Gallery, South Australia
Recent Acquisitions and Works on Paper, Art Gallery of Ballarat, Victoria
Scope 012, Arts Academy PO Gallery, University of Ballarat, Victoria
2011
A Day at the Beach, Galerie Handwerk, Munich, Germany
Scope 011, Arts Academy PO Gallery, University of Ballarat, Victoria
2010
Colour, Texture, Form, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Surfers Paradise, Queensland
Scope 010, Arts Academy PO Gallery, University of Ballarat, Victoria
2009
Tablewares: Contemporary International Ceramics, Rex Irwin Art Dealer, Sydney
2008
Vessel/Sculpture: German and International Ceramics Since 1946, Grassi Museum of Applied Art, Leipzig, Germany
Gift of Rod Fyffe, Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria
2007
Celebration, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Sydney, NSW
2006
Australische Impressionen, Galerie Rosenhauer, Goettingen, Germany
Innovations Melbourne- Hong Kong, Nellie Castan Gallery, Melbourne
Tainted Love: Contemporary Developments in Landscape, Bendigo Art Gallery
2005
COLLECT, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
AWARD EXHIBITIONS
2025
MAKE Award: Biennial Prize, Australian Design Centre, Sydney / Jamfactory, Adelaide (Finalist)
2023
Nillumbik Contemporary Art Prize, Montsalvat, Melbourne (Finalist)
2019
Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award, Melbourne (Finalist)
2017
Victorian Craft Award, Craft Victoria, Melbourne (Finalist)
2016
Gold Coast International Ceramic Art Award, Gold Coast Art Gallery (Finalist)
2015
Hobart Art Prize, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart (Finalist)
Victorian Craft Award, Craft Victoria, Melbourne (Finalist)
Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award, Melbourne (Finalist)
2013
Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award, Melbourne (Acquisition Award)
2012
Cecily and Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award, National Gallery of Victoria (Finalist)
VITRIFY Alcoso Ceramic Award, Jamfactory, Adelaide (WINNER)
2011
Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Sydney (Finalist)
Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award, Melbourne (Finalist)
National Ceramics Award Clunes, Victoria (Finalist)
2010
National Clunes Ceramics Award, Victoria (WINNER)
27th Gold Coast International Ceramic Art Award, Gold Coast City Art Gallery (Finalist)
City of Hobart Art Prize, Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery, Hobart (Finalist)
2008
Gold Coast International Ceramic Art Award, Gold Coast City Art Gallery (Acquisition Award)
2005
City of Hobart Art Prize, Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery, Hobart (Finalist)
2000
National Craft Acquisition Award, Museum and Art Gallery of NT, Darwin (WINNER)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2019: Kylie Gusset, Manifesting A Quiet Space; A review of three major exhibitions at the Hobart Triennale, Australian Ceramics Journal, Vol 57, No 2 p. 112
2017: Neville French, Neville French talks about his recent collaboration with Belinda Fox, The Australian Ceramics Journal, July 2017
2017: Lucy Stranger, Tilt, Belinda Fox and Neville French, Artist Profile magazine online, Nov 2017
2014: Neville French, Mungo Light Vessels, Craft Arts International, No 90, 2014 p. 48- 49
2014: Ceramics Monthly Arts Yearbook & Annual Buyers Guide, Awards, 2014, p. 40
2012: Bonnie Cassidy, Cicely and Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award, Art Review 2012
2012: Kerry- Anne Cousins, Empathy adds to Ambience, Canberra Times, 28th March 2012
2012: Brett Ballard, Belinda Fox/Neville French in collaboration, Ceramics Art and Perception Issue 88 pp. 112-114 June 2012
2011: Altair Roelants, ‘The Narrative of Place’, A collaborative journey with Belinda Fox and Neville French, The Journal of Australian Ceramics, Issue 50/3 Nov 2011 pp. 20-25
2011: ‘A Day at the Beach’: Handwerk Gallery, Munich, Germany 2011, CD
2011: Neville French, In My Studio, The Journal of Australian Ceramics Issue 49/2 July 2011, pp. 78 -81 issue cover
2010: Jeffrey B Snyder, Ceramics Today, Schiffer Publishing, USA 2010, p. 70-71
2009: Peter Schmitt, Land, Sky, Colour, Light: Neville French Master of Glaze, New Ceramics, Germany, Oct. 2009
2009: Peter Schmitt, Neville French in Goettingen, Keramic Magazine, Germany Oct 2009. p. 6
2008: Olaf Thormann, Vessel/Sculpture: German and International Ceramics Since 1946, Arnoldsche Art Publishers, Germany, 2008
2007: Neville French, Luminous as the Moon: An Inspiration, The Journal of Australian Ceramics, 46 #3
2006: Peter Schmitt, Australische Impressionen, Neue Keramik, Germany, Dec 2006, p. 46
2006: Peter Schmitt, Australische Keramik in Gottingen, Keramik Magazine, Germany, p. 7 (Image)
2006: Neville French, Place and Identity, Innovations: Melbourne- Hong Kong, RMIT University, Melbourne 2006
2005: Stephan Bowers, Australian Contemporary, A Sense of Place, Ceramics Art & Perception, #58
2005: Ceramic Review: International Magazine of Ceramic Art and Craft UK, Far and Wide, Jan/ Feb (Image)
2005: Kathleen Fisher, Porcelain, Canberra City Search, Fairfax digital, Oct 2005
2003: Peter Lane, Contemporary Studio Porcelain, A & C Black, UK 2003, p. 20 (Image)
2003: Suzzanne J.E. Tourtillott, 500 Bowls: Contemporary Explorations of a Timeless Form, Lark Books, USA, 2003, pp. 302, 402
2001: Contemporary Australian Design CD, Object Galleries Sydney, 2001
2000: Neville French, Porcelain Bowl Refined, Pottery in Australia, 39/4 2000 pp. 28- 30
2000: Kevin White, The Porcelain Bowl Redefined, profile of Neville French, Craft Arts International No 47 1999-2000 pp. 34-36
1999: Helen Stephens, Simple Slam: A Ceramic Aesthetic, Ceramics Art and Perception No 38 1999, pp. 100-102
1999: Neville French, Ballarat to SoHo, Craft Victoria Bulletin No 2 1999
1998: Sandra Jane and Max Darby, Art Is, Making, Creating, Appreciating, Jacaranda Wiley Ltd, p. 153
1998: Don Davis, Wheel-Thrown Ceramics, Lark Books, USA 1998 p. 65
1997: Monument Architecture & Design, Still-Life Ceramics of Neville French No19 1997
1997: Gwyn Hanssen Pigott, Neville French: Thought and Action in Tune, Ceramics Art and Perception No 27 1997, pp. 39-40
1997: Joseph Pascoe, Neville French- exhibition comment, Craft Victoria Bulletin No 2 1997
1996: Kim Hornby, Neville French, Pottery in Australia – Autumn, Issue 35/1 1996 pp. 38-39
EXHIBITION CATALOGUES
2019: Making: The Quiet Voices, Waterside Pavilion, Hobart, May
2017: Tilt, Manly Art Gallery and Museum, Sydney August
2014: Terroir, Jamfactory at Seppeltsfield, SA, 26 Sept - 23 November
2014: The Course of Objects, Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Sydney, May
2014: Australia/Korea Ceramics, Hanyang University Gallery, Seoul, Korea, April
2014: Important Exhibition of Australian Ceramics, Mossgreen Gallery, Melbourne. Feb
2013: Hua Ping, The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong Nov (collaboration with Belinda Fox)
2013: Containment: Cicely and Colin Rigg Contemporary Design Award 2012, The Ian Potter Centre, NGV Australia at Federation Square, Melbourne 2012/13
2012: Give & Take, Beaver Galleries Canberra (Collaboration with Belinda Fox)
2011: Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, Woollahra Council, Sydney
2011: Slip, collaborative ceramics with Belinda Fox, Arthouse Gallery, Sydney
2010: Hobart Art Prize, Tasmanian Art Gallery and Museum
2010: Gold Coast International Ceramic Art Award
2010: Neville French, Mungo Light, Mossgreen Gallery, Melbourne
2010: Prue Venables & Gwyn Hanssen Pigott, Tablewares: An International Collection, Rex Irwin Art Dealer, Sydney
2007: Prue Venables, Celebration, Manly Art Gallery and Museum, Sydney
2006: Peter Schmitt, Australian Impressionen, Galerie Rosenhauer, Goettingen, Germany
2006: Christopher Sanders, Innovative Ceramics: Melbourne- Hong Kong, Nellie Castan Gallery
2005: Stephan Bowers, Australian Contemporary: A Survey of a Sense of Place, COLLECT, Victoria and Albert Museum UK
2005: City of Hobart Art Prize, Ceramics/ Painting, Hobart Art Gallery
2004: Anna Maas, Celebrating the Master, Skepsi Gallery, Melbourne
2004: Sarah Bond & Dr Kevin Murray, Heresy: The Secret Language of Materials, Craft Victoria
2002: Kirstin Fitzpatrick, Less is More/ Less is a Bore, Brisbane City Gallery, June
2002: Allison Gray, National Craft Acquisition Award, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, August
2000: Marianne Heller, Australishe Keramik, Galerie Marianne Heller, November
2000: RMIT Postgraduates 2000, RMIT University, Melbourne
1999: Sculpture, Objects & Functional Art (SOFA) Chicago, The Sybaris Gallery
1996: Peter Hayes, Vessel, Contemporary Australian Ceramics, Canberra School of Art Gallery
1996: Jim Logan, Stillness, Craft ACT Gallery, June
1996: Owen Rye, Australian Woodfire Survey: Strathnaire Homestead Gallery, Canberra
1991: Prue Venables, Aspects, RMIT Gallery
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
Kerry-Anne Cousins, Mastering the Fine Art of Miniature, Canberra Times, December 14, 2013
Kerry-Anne Cousins, Empathy adds to Ambience, Canberra Times, March 28, 2012
Chloe Pollard, International eyes on artists, Ballarat Courier, Aug 28, 2008
Megan Backhouse, The Age, 48 Hours Critical Guide, Dec 1, 2007
Alissa Kelly, Unique Ceramic Art Lands German Invitation, Ballarat Courier, September 16, 2005
Rebecca Lancashire, The Subtle Charms of Fired Clay, The Age, Domain, December 16, 1999
William L. Hamilton, From Handmade to High Style, New York Times, USA, February 25, 1999 (Image)
Helen Greenwood, The New Stone Age, Sydney Morning Herald, August 5, 1999
Claire Hunter, Potters Pieces to go on Show in NY, Ballarat Courier, 1998
Ellizabeth Findlay, Inviting Contemplation, Canberra Times, July 12, 1996
COLLECTIONS
National Gallery of Australia
National Gallery of Victoria
Art Gallery of South Australia
Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art
Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory
Manly Art Gallery & Museum
Shepparton Art Museum
HOTA (Home of the Arts) Gold Coast
Perc Tucker Regional Gallery
Art Gallery of Ballarat
Bendigo Art Gallery
Hamilton Gallery
Castlemaine Art Museum
Devonport Regional Gallery
Ian Potter Museum of Art, University of Melbourne
University of Wollongong
Queensland University of Technology
Federation University
Campbelltown Arts Centre
Banyule City Council
Manningham Council
Whitehorse City Council
Margaret Lawrence Australian Ceramics Collection
Artbank
City of Inagawa, Japan,
Grassi Museum, Germany
Hanyang University Museum Gallery, Korea
