Born in Istanbul in 1938, Alev Ebüzziya Siesbye became interested in sculpture and ceramics from an early age. After nurturing this passion throughout her academic studies, the artist moved to Denmark to further pursue a career in ceramics in 1962. There, she started working at the Royal Copenhagen Manufactory under the mentorship of master potter Nils Thorsson and gradually refined her technique.

Siesbye is renowned for her bowls produced through high-temperature firing and her recourse to the ancient technique of coiling and finishing on a wooden-kick wheel. The result is often described as minimalist, and compared to ancient pottery rather than modern art. Moreover, her bowls are praised for their robustness, a factor of production that only allows Siesbye to create around two dozen of them a year, each with a highly developed glaze and many hours spent on perfecting the shape and texture of the clay. As a result, the artist notes “I am obsessional - I do nothing but pots" and describes the intimate relationship which she developed with her material: “It’s important to understand the materials that you use. You cannot do good work if the material is not good. Clay and glazes need understanding. You need a dialogue with them. You personalise them. They are like your handwriting.”

Siesbye quickly acquired an international reputation and was made a member of the Royal Danish Academy in 1981 as well as a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, where she now lives and works, in 2009. Her works feature in over thirty-five museum collections.