Werner Bernard, born Werner Rüesch, is one of the most influential artists in the field of ceramics and ceramic sculpture of the second half of the 20th century. His work combines masterful craftsmanship , artistic independence, and an exceptional sensitivity to material, form, and expression. Over decades, he developed a distinctive visual language that transcends mere functionality and understands ceramics as an independent artistic medium of profound expressive power.

His artistic career began in England . After training at the Camberwell School of Art in London and further studies at the Royal College of Art, he devoted himself entirely to artistic work. After a year at the teacher training college in Brighton, he was appointed lecturer by the Department of Education at the University of London . In London, he taught ceramics, sculpture, and design at various art schools and simultaneously opened his own studio in Islington. There, he worked as a freelance artist , participated in exhibitions and competitions, and increasingly established himself in the international art scene.

After about ten years in London, a teaching position took him to Alfred University in New York State, where he gained further insights into the international art scene. These years were formative: they broadened his horizons , deepened his artistic aspirations, and strengthened his conviction that ceramics should be understood not merely as a craft, but as a fully-fledged form of plastic and sculptural expression.

A decisive turning point in his life and work came with his encounter with Menorca . Werner Bernard first visited the island in 1963. In the early 1970s, he settled in Sant Luis and built a ceramics studio on his finca. Over the decades, this place developed into a center of his artistic activity.

Menorca became not only his home and workplace, but also an artistic space of inspiration. The landscape , the earth , the minerals , and the light of the island profoundly influenced his work.

In his studio on Menorca, Werner Bernard experimented intensively with local materials, high-temperature kilns , stoneware (Gres Catalan) , porcelain , and mineral components of the island. This resulted in a body of work deeply connected to the nature of Menorca and simultaneously informed by international artistic experience.