Gilt Bronze Lamp with Rock Crystal and Brass by Boeltz, France, 1970s

Each Claude Victor Boeltz piece is glamorous yet retains a richly organic feel that adds a touch of bold sophistication to any interior. This French Surrealist designer popularized a technique he called “exploded bronze” — a process that has the metal components of a given piece appear as if they were liquified and then crystalized after an explosion. 

Boeltz was born in Paris in 1937. There were several artists in his family, and Boeltz quickly developed creative interests at an early age. He fell in love with painting, architecture, ceramics and more, but was also intrigued by scientific fields such as geology and anatomy.

Boeltz studied under the sculptor Henri Molins and apprenticed at the Susse Frères and Houdot foundries. Additionally, he enrolled in classes in the evenings at the Boulle School in Paris and the Paris Academy of Art. He frequented museums and found much to appreciate in the work of artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Demetre Chiparus, Salvador Dalí, and Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann.

After moving to the French Riviera, Boeltz became personally acquainted with Pablo Picasso. He worked for a period with Picasso, and in the mid-1960s, he established a foundry in the Loire Valley. By the late 1960s, his work was being noticed around Europe (his works were sold by the likes of Cartier). His turning point came in the early 1970s when he met the sculptor César Baldaccini, whose “compression” pieces inspired Boeltz to experiment with abandon, and his “exploded bronze” technique was born.

Boeltz’s Hollywood Regency-style furnishings — mirrors, candlesticks, picture frames, lamps and even ceiling fixtures — were made with this new process. The designer then worked to decorate these “exploded” pieces with semi-precious stones — often African emeralds — or other luminous materials such as quartz and Murano glass. He subsequently opened two foundries to produce these kinds of works. 

In the early 1980s, Boeltz moved his facilities to the United States. He built a large foundry in Nevada, and today, Las Vegas hotels now house many of his works. His collectors have also included Salvador Dalí, Baron Rothschild and others.

On 1stDibs, find Claude Victor Boeltz decorative items, lighting, serveware and more.