Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources

Willem Stuurman is recognized as a great artist in Dutch Pottery who was born in Amsterdam in 1908. He started pottery in 1922 at the age of 14 in the Quellinusschool ( Amsterdam ) by taking courses from Bert Nienhuis. In 1927 he began teaching at the Institute of Applied Art  school in Amsterdam. In the period !928 – 1934 he worked as an artistic director in the pottery factories at Eskaf in Huizen, Kennemerland in Velsen, St lucas in Maarsseen and Zenith and Goedewaagen. He designed around 300 Art Deco potteries for Zenith and some of them went on to become famous.

Because of this, he left his mark on art around this period. From 1932 he worked as an independent ceramist. In 1938 he rediscovered the so-called “Royal Blue”. This was  a blue glaze, used by the Egyptians around the time of the New Kingdom (c. 1567 BC). It was widely  used for amulets and pottery, Ushabti  ( funery figurines ) and beautiful objects. The  knowledge of how to make these blue glazes had been lost.

The special feature of the ” King Blue ”was that when two objects such as a blue glazed” Delft “blue plate was placed alongside  a plate in ” Royal Blue “,  the ” Delft ” plate no longer looks blue but purple.

His first major international exhibition was in Boston, USA in 1938.

Also  around that era in the Netherlands, all major cities had exhibitions of his work. He also taught pottery to Princess Beatrix. There were purchases of his ceramics made by Queen Wilhelmina and the Museum. Major assignments during that time,  included a mosaic of eighteen square meters, various war memorials and murals in public buildings. He was a guest designer in 1940 at the Royal Glass Industry in Leerdam. In 1948 at the exhibition in Montreal his work was represented as the Dutch entry. After a lustrous career, he died in 1995 in Amersfoort in the Neverlands.

Willem Stuurman floral vase

Willem Stuurman jug

Black lidded jewellry box – Willem Stuurman

Ox blood red vase – Willem Stuurman

Willem Stuurman

Blue Zenith Jug – Willem Stuurman

1931-1934

Arnhem Pottery

Willem Stuurman jug

Art Deco Black jug – Willem Stuurman

Turquoise jug – Willem Stuurman

Teal Pitcher – Willem Stuurman

Ovoid vase – Willem Stuurman

Dish with abstract motif – Willem Stuurman

1932

Flying seagull plate – Willem Stuurman

Willem Stuurman Art Deco jug

A black and an orange pitcher – Willem Stuurman

Willem-Stuurman

Willem Stuurman

Zenith Vase designed by Willem Stuurman

Willem Stuurman ceramic creamer

” Love Couple “ by Willem Stuurman

1924

( Stedelijk Museum )

Red creamer and sugar bowl, tray