Studio Sem

Studio Sem was founded in the 1950’s by Sem Ghelardini (1927-1997) who gained international notoriety producing the large scale works of Henry Moore, Cèsar, Emile Gilioli, Joan Mirò, Georges Adam and many other celebrated sculptors during the first wave of modern abstract sculpture in the 1960’s.
In 1995 Keara McMartin who was Sem’s right hand since 1986 took over the direction of the Studio; expanding its scope to include the production of corresponding architectural elements such as containment borders and reflecting pools for fountains as well as paving and cladding to create a complete project around the sculpture.
Designing projects in close collaboration with architects and art consultants the Studio produces and coordinates a wide range of stone based art such as marble mosaic murals, bas-relief, negative carved portraits and sculpture in the round, placing major emphasis on presenting the sculptors working at Studio Sem for large-scale public commissions.
The climate in the Studio is still very much an international one with artists from all over the world working on their own sculpture and/or commissioning both large and small works to be made such as Helaine Blumenfeld, Knut Steen, Novello Finotti, Eja Siepman van den Berg, Maja van Hall, Barry Flanagan and Damien Hirst to name just a few.
Over fifty years of experience have provided the studio with a high level of expertise for the execution of art works in marble, onyx and stone of both figurative and abstract genre.
Each member of the studio contributes a unique talent and disposition that is matched to both the sculpture and the needs of the sculptor.
The artist/artisan collaboration varies greatly with the needs of each sculptor; some like
Peter Randall-Page, Eppe de Haan and Inger Sannes ask the Studio to help with only the roughing out of their sculpture while others entrust the execution of the entire sculpture to the studio, working in close collaboration with the artisans for the finishing of the work.
On any given day, a wide variety of sculpture can be seen in progress; being produced by the artisans or by the artists themselves or a combination of the two. Small finished works by the sculptors working in the Studio are shown in our exhibition gallery on the premises.
Studio Sem is predicated on the ideology that quality and aesthetics are the most important aspects of producing art. All the members of the studio as well as our collaborators take pride in putting forth their best effort in the execution of both small and monumental works of art.