Harumi Klossowska de Rola

Early Inspirations in Fine Jewelry

From her childhood in the mythic Villa Medici in Rome to La Rossinière chalet nestled between the forests and mountains of Switzerland, Harumi Klossowska de Rola has always inhabited an extraordinary artistic and natural universe. 

It is through these ageless places, with their poetic atmospheres brimming with fantastic creations, that Harumi discerned the mysterious power of true masterpieces: timelessness.

From her first discovery of the magic of precious gems at a young age, Harumi’s imagination was ignited; thus began her career as a jewelry designer. 

After a few years working for some of the most prominent creators of the time, including notably John Galliano, she launched her first collection of crafted jewelry under her own name. As her career in haute joaillerie (fine jewelry) evolved, she created bracelets, necklaces and rings for luxury brands including Chopard, Boucheron, Valentino, Goossens, and Van Cleef & Arpels.

The Enigmatic Assembly of Harumi's Bestiary

Over time, her love for the craftsmanship that allowed her visions to take form grew and she turned toward sculpting on a larger scale, always influenced by the flora and fauna of the natural world in which she grew up. In her sculptures, she reconnects her soul with the spirits of animals, following the paths of the animist and ancient native civilizations of the world.

The apparent immobility of Harumi’s creatures is but an illusion; at any moment, Ame-no-Kaku, the monumental stag, appears to take up his sovereign march once more through the ancient forest. Harumi transforms and transcends the stiff bronze, breathing into it the spark of life. 

These sculptures of bronze and gold leaf seem strangely familiar, as if beyond the limits of time. They appear like so many of the treasures arising from our collective subconscious, conferring a character of absolute universality to the mystical animals.  Each of her magnificent creatures emits a unique sensibility, evoking without fail a singular emotion in its viewers.

As If From a Dream: The Sculptures Come to Life

In 2023, this bestiary took form in a monumental collection of forest animals, from delicate Owls to the magnificent Stag against a backdrop of captivating paravents, in an exhibition presented at the Galerie Gastou, “Yakushima, the Mystic Island”. 

Harumi invites us to discover an esoteric art, between dream and reality, at the crossroads of Egyptian, Japanese and Etruscan statuary. She captures the subtle beauty, danger, aura and mystery of wild animals, delicately diffusing a sensation of rare power. The strength of her work, intense and subtle, has destined her to join the ranks of the great masters of art and sculpture.