Yolande Milan Batteau is an interdisciplinary fine artist who has honed her knowledge and physical mastery of a superfluity of materials and methods over the last 30 years, drawing inspiration from natural phenomena and artistic anthropologies alike.
Seeking and mapping the essential self, in tandem with perpetual introspective study, is fundamental to her practice. Equally important is her exploration of the larger material world through a lifelong dedication to discovering, exploring, and incorporating contemporary and ancient processes and mediums into her work. This fascination with all materials and methods has over time resulted in a delightfully polyphagous practice, which runs the gamut from abstract and representational painting to sculpture to mixed media to furniture and textile design, and everything in-between.
Batteau studied philosophy and painting at the Sorbonne in Paris, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. Directly after leaving school, Batteau was struck with an insatiable desire to travel the world. Thanks to this incessant wanderlust, Batteau has traveled more and farther than most will in a lifetime, and along the way has developed a strong affinity for a wide range of cultures and their arts. Many beloved techniques, motifs and materials discovered abroad are manifest in her artwork: Belgian simplicity, French decadence, African complexity, Japanese refinement, and American bravado are all equally cherished, alongside a host of less easily-definable aesthetics.
Batteau’s artwork waxes decidedly romantic – alongside her penchant for essential makerism and material culture is a deep love for the earth and all it offers. Batteau often retreats into nature for artistic revitalization and inspiration, seeking both solace and and spiritual interconnectedness, both requisites for her practice.
Having built a life surrounded by fellow artists and creatives, Batteau firmly believes in living an artistically rich life: she delights in making her own clothing and jewelry, has a passion and a knack for food and cooking, and a deep and rich appreciation for carefully handmade domestic goods.
From her studio in New York City, Batteau has worked alongside the most renowned designers and artists of the era. In addition to her personal art practice, she also serves as the Creative Director and Principal Artist of art-for-architecture atelier Callidus Guild, which she founded in 1998.
EXHIBITIONS
2022 "MU: A series of beautiful repairs", 109 Thompson, New York, NY
2022 "Autumn Affair", 109 Thompson, New York, NY
2022 Group Exhibition, Carl Hansen & Son, Design Week, New York, NY
2021 "Design for Good" Auction, Elle Decor "Mu/Katsura", global
2021 “Introspective”, Bernd Goeckler, New York, NY
2021 Design Miami, Miami, FL
2021 "On the Edge", Collective Design, New York, NY
2022 Paravent, Collectors Lounge, Salon Art + Design, New York, NY
2022 Demonstration: The New Mythology, 109 Thompson, New York, NY
2022 The New Mythology, Callidus Guild, Brooklyn, NY
2022 Portrait in Marigolds, Shandaken, NY
2022 “Living Gallery”, Kelly Behun, New York, NY
2020 “Evolved Resolve”, Female Design Council (NYC), Virtual Exhibition
2019 “The Stone Show”, Gallery Twenty Twenty Two, Brooklyn, NY
2019 Collaborative Exhibition, Interlude Apparatus Studio, New York, NY
2019 Opening, Egg Collective Showroom, New York, NY
2019 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, New York, NY
2018 Salon Design Fair, The Armory, New York, NY
2018 Performance: Salon Design Fair, The Armory, New York, NY
2018 Collective Design Fair, Collective Design, New York, NY
2017 Salone Design Fair, BDDW, Milan, IT
2017 Collaborative Exhibition, Act II Apparatus Studio, New York, NY
2017 Group Exhibition, Jeff Lincoln Art + Design, Southhampton, NY
2016 “Yakisugi”, NES Creative Space, New York, NY
2016 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse, New York, NY
2016 Exhibition with Dimore Studio, The Future Perfect, New York, NY
2016 Design on a Dime Fundraiser, Design on a Dime, New York, NY
2015 Designing Women Showcase, Egg Collective, New York, NY
2012 The Vinyl Show - Perugia, Italy
2012 170 East 80th Gallery Group Exhibition, New York, NY
2011 EverGreene Group Exhibition - The Artists and their Art, New York, NY
2005 Voices Unabridged Annual Gala Fundraiser Auction, New York, NY
2005 International Designer Showhouse, New York, NY
2002 Group Exhibition, Richard Carter, San Francisco, CA
2001 Artist Collaboration Installation, South Station, Boston, MA.
2000 Constructions for Working Hours Installation, South Station, Boston
2000 Solo Installation, International Horticultural Invitational, Boston
2000 Solo Exhibition, Fincham and Assoc., Boston, MA
1999 Group Exhibition, School of the Museum of Fine Arts Annual, Boston
1999 Group Exhibition, The Distillery, South Boston, MA
1998 Solo Exhibition, Laurence Hultberg Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
1997 Solo Exhibition, Nelson Reiyia House, Nairobi, Kenya
1996 Solo Performance, Dandora Estates, Nairobi, Kenya
1995 Group Exhibition, Communion, San Francisco, CA
1994 Solo Exhibition, L'Hermitage Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
1991-1996 Salon Series, San Francisco, CA
PRESS
2022 Vogue “The Brides Sang Their Vows at This Art-Filled Wedding in the Catskills”
2022 New York Times “How a Gallery Owner Spends Her Sundays”
2021 Milled “Elle Decor Auction: Yolande Milan Batteau for Design for Good”
2020 Curbed “Tour Artist Yolande Milan Batteau's Lush Garden in Brooklyn”
2019 Interior Design Magazine “The Stone Show at Brooklyn Gallery is Rock Solid”
2019 Artnet News “Editors’ Picks: 19 Things Not to Miss in New York’s Art World This Week”
2019 Whitewall “Callidus Guild’s Yolande Batteau Encourages Clients to Be Bold”
2019 Surface Magazine “Callidus Guild - The Stone Show”
2019 Cottages & Gardens - “The Stone Show”
2019 Fortuné “Meet Yolande Milan Batteau, Wallpaper Atelier to the Elite”
2019 Design Milk “Friday Five with Yolande Milan Batteau of Callidus Guild”
2019 The Slowdown “Yolande Batteau’s Latest Body of Work Reflects a Passionate Personal Investigation of Materials and Self”
2017 Luxe “Art, Ingenuity Meld For The Force Behind This Studio”
2017 Architectural Digest “A Visit with Yolande Batteau of Callidus Guild”
2016 Brownstoner “Brooklyn Designers Show Us Their Vignettes at ‘Design on a Dime’”