Acquavella Galleries, a blue-chip gallery known for secondary market sales, has taken exclusive US representation of Swiss sculptor Harumi Klossowska de Rola. The artist, daughter of painter Balthus and ceramicist Setsuko Klossowska de Rola, creates bronze and alabaster animal sculptures that blend fine art and design. Her works, priced from under $100,000 to over half a million dollars, are cast in small editions and meticulously reworked by hand. Acquavella discovered her work at the Palm Beach home of collector Peter Brant. Her first show with the gallery opened in Palm Beach, accompanied by a Rizzoli book, with new works planned for Art Basel Paris and a major solo exhibition at Acquavella's New York space in 2026.
The move signals a strategic shift for a gallery historically associated with masters like Giacometti and Cézanne. By representing an artist whose practice exists between sculpture and design, Acquavella is responding to the market's growing appetite for crossover objects that defy easy categorization. This suggests that even established, history-focused galleries are adapting to contemporary collecting trends, where categories like fine art and design increasingly blur. The partnership also highlights the commercial viability of limited-edition sculptural works that appeal to both new collectors and major players.