Opening: Estella Fransbergen: La Femme: Candlelight and Gems

Estella Fransbergen: La Femme: Candlelight and Gems
On view: December 11, 2025–January 23, 2026
Opening reception: Thursday, December 11, 6:00-8:00 pm

Bonner David Galleries Scottsdale proudly announces the opening of La Femme: Candlelight and Gems, the first solo Scottsdale exhibition by acclaimed sculptor Estella Fransbergen, debuting on December 11, 2025, with a special reception during the Scottsdazzel Art Walk.

Renowned for her evocative sculptural works celebrating the beauty and strength of the female form, Fransbergen brings together artistry and elegance through her signature torsos adorned with exquisite gemstones. Each sculpture is meticulously hand-sculpted in clay or porcelain, embodying the artist’s devotion to craftsmanship and her reverence for nature’s splendor. She uses high-fired white and yellow gold overglaze/raku fired/horsehair patina to create masterful surfaces that resonate with emotion and feeling. Some of the pieces stand on pedestals, with the wire and gems hanging down like a dress or garment, while others are suspended from the ceiling, creating an almost spiritual feel that frees the work from the confines of gravity.

“These works are about the beauty of nature while also paying reverence to the female form,” says Fransbergen. The torsos represent the strength while the gemstone show the beauty, delicacy and elegance of the female form. The wire represents the organized chaos we feel as women as we are pulled into so many directions. And the gemstones are from the earth, so we are celebrating mother nature at the same time.”

In La Femme, Fransbergen’s pieces come alive through a masterful combination of materials—patinas, high-fire glazes, white gold, bronze, and casted glass—each delicately embellished with aquamarine, amethyst, rose quartz, lapis, pearls, rubies, and select European crystals. When illuminated by light, these works transport the viewer into a realm of ethereal beauty, casting shimmering reflections and intricate shadows that evoke both intimacy and wonder.