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American Modernist Ceramic Artists

June 21, 2013

It is generally recognised that Modernist design had its initial inception in Europe in 1919, with the opening of the Bauhaus school of Design in Germany. It was founded with the idea of creating a “total” work of art in which all arts, including architecture, would eventually be brought together. The Bauhaus style became one of the most influential currents in Modernist architecture and modern design.This was also the major driving force behind the Mid-Century era of art, which spanned from the early 1940’s to the early 80’s. In the USA, the sparse, clean lines of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture and the emerging acceptance of the Scandinavian design ethic, had an incisive influence on interior design and ceramic styles. Below are a collection of some of the many American artists that made fantastic contributions to this unique phase of art and design.

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Clyde Burt :

Ceramic artist Clyde Burt (1922-1981) is widely recognized as a pioneer in the American studio ceramics movement. He studied at Fort Wayne Art School and the Cape Cod School of Art and completed graduate work under Maija Grotell at the Cranbrook Academy of Art. He exhibited at the Ceramic Nationals in Syracuse in 1954, 1956 and 1958. In 1957 he won the Art Institute of Chicago Designer-Craftsman Award. His pieces are in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Everson Museum of Art.

Clyde Burt Lidded Vessel

Ceramic Wall Relief – Clyde Burt c a – 1960

( 1stdibs )

Large ceramic vessel wtih etched design – Clyde Burt

Clyde Burt – Glazed modernist stoneware vessel with lid

Clyde Burt pottery vase

Clyde Burt vase, stoneware

( Clyde Burt Ceramics | Facebook )

Clyde Burt well panel,plate & vases

( AAA Auctions )

Large stoneware bottle form vase with an incised geometric design – Clyde Burt

Height 16.5 inches ( Trocadero – Studio 2.0 )

Clyde Burt – Monumental glazed earthenware vase.This dates from early in Burt’s career when he was working in Ohio in the 1950’s

Height 33 inches ( Wright Auctions 2002 )

Clyde Burt Tiled Wall Panel

( Clyde Burt Ceramics | Facebook )

Clyde Burt – Vase, Dayton-Melrose, OH, 1955

Clyde Burt ceramic vase

Clyde Burt ceramic wall panel

( Clyde Burt Ceramics | Facebook )

Large Bottle – Clyde Burt

Modernist Bowl – Clyde Burt

Clyde Burt modernist vase

Clyde Burt Vase

Mid centuryVase -Clyde Burt

Modernist Figurines – Clyde Burt

1963-1964

Clyde Burt Ceramic Vessel Incised design

Jerome and Evelyn Ackerman :

Jerome and Evelyn Ackerman are skilled craftsmen and designers who were instrumental in defining Mid-Century Modern home decor. After attending the “For Modern Living” exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts in 1949, where they encountered the design duo of Charles and Ray Eames, the couple decided to devote a life and career to design . Here, for their generation, was a fresh and exciting alternative to the “mundane, what-your-mother-had, doilies-on-a-table” kind of traditional home decor. “We didn’t know we had missed it, because it hadn’t been there. * Jerome recalls, “If the Eames can do it, why can’t we?”; so they opened the Jenev Design Studio (a combination of their names) in West Los Angeles. They began producing slip-cast ceramics and eventually expanded their offering to include a wide variety of home decor and architectural elements. The business name changed to ERA Industries in 1956.

Jerome and Evelyn Ackerman modernist ceramic collection

Evelyn Ackerman – Horse 1950’s

Jerome and Evelyn Ackerman – Ceramic Bottles

Female Figures vase by Jerome Ackerman, 1953

( Mid2Mod .blogspot )

Rain – Evelyn Ackerman Mosaic

Gertrud & Otto Natzler :

Gertrud Natzler’s collaboration with her husband, Otto Natzler, extended over almost four decades and produced some of the twentieth century’s finest ceramics. They are held by over seventy museums throughout the world and by countless private collections. Her nearly twenty-five thousand hand-thrown pots, bowls, and bottles are celebrated for their refinement, delicacy, and proportion Her husband brought exceptional color and texture to the work with the glazes he invented and developed by experimentation, carefully documenting several thousand formulas.

Natzler modernist bowl

Gertrud & Otto Natzler folded bowl with yellow glazed earthenware

Natzler crater bowl -glazed earthenware with a burst-bubble glaze and blue highlights.

( Treadway Toomey Auctions – sold )

Gertrud & Otto Natzler earthenware footed bowl

Natzler Tall bottle with lip – 1962

Gertrud & Otto Natzler – Monumental vase – 1957

( LAMA – Los Angeles Modern Auctions -Realized: $93,750 )

Otto & Gertrud Natzler ceramics at Common Ground, AMOCO

Otto & Gertrud Natzler Bowl with a lava glaze.

Gertrud & Otto Natzler – Velvet Chartreuse glazed ceramic – 1945

( LAMA )

Gertrud & Otto Natzler – folded shape bowl

Gertrud & Otto Natzler – Tomato Red Vase

Gertrud and Otto Natzler

Russell Wright :

Centrepiece bowl designed by Russell Wright for Bauer Pottery.

1948

Russel Wright – American Modern dinner set

See more Russell Wright ceramics HERE

Eva Zeisel : ( 1906 – 2011 )

Known for her organic modernist ceramic works, Eva Zeisel was truly one of the foremost designers of the Twentieth Century, with a career that spanned into the Twenty First Century. She was the first designer in America to produce an all white dinner service. After settling in the USA, she started designing for pretty large-sized companies like General Mills, Rosenthal China, Castelton China and more. Zeisel was also proud to share her knowledge, and eventually became a professor of Industrial Design at the Pratt Institute in New York. One of her career highlights was in 1946, where she had a one-woman show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She was still designing at the age of 100.

Eva Zeisel was continually intrigued by what she called her “playful search for beauty.” A person of delightfully defiant spirit, the designer was just beginning her career when she declared war on the fashionable avant-garde. “I didn’t accept the purism of modern design,” she said. “In my definition, if it gave beauty to the eye, it was beauty.”

Eva Zeisel – Art Deco coffee set

1932

Eva Ziesel carafe and tray

Eva Zeisel jugs

“It’s easy to do something stunning that stays in a collector’s cabinet. But Eva’s designs reached people at the table, where they gather” – Paola Antonelli

Large milk pitchers – Eva Ziesel

“The clean lines of modern design can be successfully combined with sensuous, classic shape” – Eva Zeisel

Eva Zeisel Vase

Eva Zeisel 1983

Eva Zeisel Sauce Bowl

Beatrice Wood : (1893-1998)

As a potter, Wood was fascinated by the glazing process from the beginning, and dedicated much energy to the study of luster glazing techniques. She also studied briefly with master potters Getrud and Otto Natzler in 1940, who impressed upon her the value of the ceramic vessel as fine art. . In 1948 Wood began to establish a home and studio in Ojai,California and over the next fifteen years began perfecting her own version of the luster glaze.

She was lifelong member of the Theosophical Society which would greatly influence her artistic philosophies. Her path was also shaped by Dada, the art movement of which Wood was a seminal part, which rejected reason and logic; prizing nonsense, irrationality and intuition. By the early 1970’s, Beatrice Wood had established a reputation as a fine artist and emerged as a leading American exponent of luster pottery. She eventually turned her focus to more complex, decorative vessels, and her work was increasingly sought after by galleries and museums. By the time of her death at the age of 105, Wood had become a well-recognized figure in the world of ceramic art, renowned as much for her luster glazes as for her longevity, vitality, and charm.

Beatrice Wood ceramic vessel

Beatrice Wood ceramic bowl

Beatrice Wood vase, bulbous shape covered in a volcanic textured yellow glaze with subtle black highlights.

( Treadway Toomey Auctions )

Mottled Glaze, Ovoid Crimped bowl – Beatrice Wood

( roadside-america.com )

Gold Luster Vessel with Figures 1985

Beatrice Wood – deep tourquise glazed bowl

Beatrice Wood

Charles Ray Eames Elephant

Harrison McIntosh :

Born in California in 1914, Harrison McIntosh was a master at his craft, setting aesthetic standards of elegance, precision, technique and design in ceramics. As a pioneer in the post-World War II Southern California crafts movement, his ceramic art continues to be recognized beyond today.

Harrison McIntosh Pottery Vase

Glazed Platter Harrison McIntosh

1984

Harrison McIntosh

( Otis Legacy )

Double Gourd Bottles – Harrison McIntosh

1950

Harrison McIntosh ceramics at Common Ground, AMOCO

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* See more at: http://www.craftcouncil.org/magazine/article/mid-century-modernists#sthash.udAAzkhK.dpuf

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Also tagged Beatrice Wood, Gertrud & Otto Natzler – 7 Comments

Retro pottery yeah !

September 16, 2012

Mid-century, vintage, retro pottery styles.

Laminex, shag-pile, plastic pots, automobile tail fins and a lot of other fads from the 50’s and 60’s didn’t quite make it into the new century except with various niche collectors. However the ceramics from this era have stood the test of time and are still sought after and used.

Jean de Lespinasse – An impressive and unusual vase by this decorative potter who worked from his studio in Nice during the 1950’s.

The 50’s, 60’s and 70’s were groovy times, the designer and trend setters were out to make a statement. Colours were bold and bright, the Atomic-age had arrived. It was time to get futuristic and modern. Women even wore stylish Yves St Laurent dresses to go shopping. The mid-century cultural revolution was unstoppable and they were daring to dream. Some fantastic style innovations were born of this era. Music, fashion and consumer products all got a huge makeover from the more conservative 40‘s. Designers and manufactures had grasped the power of marketing to a competitive minded consumer and were producing an ongoing stream of modern innovative styles. And the ceramics of this time were no exception. French, German, Italian, English, Scandinavian and the USA were all strong contributors to modernist ceramic designs in this fascinating period.

50’s shopping

Cyclope Pottery Annecy, France. All are glazed with the typical blue Emaux des Glaciers, for which this pottery was renown.

( AnSeta )

I find the popularity of the lava glazes of this era intriguing. During this time the bomb was widely feared. A Doctor Strangelove scenerio loomed large in peoples minds.. Lava comes from explosions, so its widespread use could have possibly evolved from this subconcious fear. The same can be said for the volcanic glazes, which were reninforced with red, orange and black firey colours. Some of the mid-century pottery were often bulky and heavy with very thick glazes, sometimes multi layered up to four layers deep with different colours and textures.Their appearance was very grounding, which maybe represented a balance to the explorations of alternative consciouness that were actively pursued at the time. Abstract designs were popular, and pop art designs also crept in along with some psychedelic creations.

Retro decor

Elegant 1950’s dish by Jean Austruy. Glazed with a smooth lava like glaze with an abstract design. Length: 11.5ins

Anseta.com

Vintage yellow and black West German vase

Mid-century, vintage style ceramics are still loved by collectors and are becoming increasingly popular. The Atomic-era and Jet-age led to many abstract and innovative designs where streamlined contours were fused with angular geometric shapes.They encapsulate a time capsule of this amazing era and they reflect all it stood for.

Bitossi ‘Seta’ compote Italy circa 1950′ s

robin parfitt – flickr

Mid-Century sixties decor

Large Mid Century Vase by Accolay, France.

Green Grey glossy glaze, topped by a rust on beige ground.

Carstens 1245 25 (cm) Vase – West Germany

60’s 70’s Retro Mid century Fat Lava.

Fabulous West German vase manufactured in 1967 by Bay.

Hallelujah-Aveiro Atomic drop vase, modernist style

Hallelujah Aveiro drop shaped vase with trapezoidal blades – Portugal

Gebruder Conradt Schwabische Kunsttopferei

Large “Son Of Chaac” vase by Claude Conover; c. 1960 – USA

Height 22.5 “

Soholm Denmark heavy Stoneware vessel

Carl Cooper dish with unglazed sgraffito decoration

1955

Italian Ceramic Vase 50’s – 60’s

Bitossi Italian Pottery Orange and Tan fruit bowl and vase designed by Aldo Londi circa 1960

( afterglow retro )

Vintage German vase – 50’s – 60’s

Imposing-vase-made-by-Schlossberg-c1960 West-German tapered cylindrical vase

Schlossberg Mid Century vase

West German, 1960

Vintage-Rare-Dutch-Table-Lamp---Louis-Kalff-for-Philips-1950s-pastpresentfuture

Dutch Phillips space age vintage lamp, design by Louis Kalff

1950’s

West German Pottery – Carstens Tönnieshof.

( The End of History shop )

Modernist vintage vase

Mottle textured vase by California Originals, probably dating from the 1950s.

Elchinger Ceramique

Shapely example of Vallauris decorative pottery vase, glazed in matte black with brightly enamelled interior and a trailing white drip decoration.

A mottled mix from the great Gunnar Nylund of Rorstrand fame. Swedish mid-century at its finest.

( End of History shop )

Danish Soholm Space Age Pottery – Rockets and Circles

Fine & rare Windows vase by Anzolo Fuga for A.V.E.M., Murano, Italy.

Large Handled Jug glazed in bright red with a dark Fat Lava overglaze.

This item was made by the Fohr Keramik factory in Ransbach.

The company was founded in 1859 and is still in production today.

Vase by VEB Haldensleben (formerly Carstens Uffrecht) – E.Germany

( Eclectivist – etsy )

American Mid Century modernist vase – 60’s

West German Scrafitto Vase – Sawa 1950s

pastpresenthome – etsy

Mid-Century Modern Abstract Jug

Image source – http://fancy4glass.ca/

Scheurich Keramik vase

Vallauris tall vase from the Vallauris studio of Auguste Lucchesi.

Glazed in mottled black and white drip. Decorated with bright enamel abstract motifs.

( AnSeta )

Vallauris France ‘Fat Lava’ Studio Pottery Vase circa 1960’s

afterglow retro

Selection of pottery by Francis Triay (See Designers) from the Neolithic range. Made during the 60s

Extraordinary Op Art vase from the Swing series. Made in 1974 by Royal KPM.

( Eclectivist – etsy )

Cyclope Pottery Annecy Emaux des Glaciers – 1950’s-1960’s

Mid century handled vase by VEB Haldensleben (East Germany)

Striking example of Vallauris pottery by Rossello.

Little is known about this potter, who was one of the many working in Vallauris during the boom years of the 1960’s.

Studio art pottery vase with flaring rim.

height 12 inches

Cute Pair Retro Vintage 1960’s Siamese Cats Pottery Salt & Pepper shakers

Dumler and Breiden – Germany

( and 1 intruder )

via J’adore Lava Fat – flickr

Dumler & Breiden vase

Retro ceramic bottles Alessio Tasca

Italy 1961

Mid-Century modernist umbrella stand – Antonia Campi

Italy 1951

West German Bay ceramic vase

Bruno Gambone Italian modernist bottle

Fat Lava ceramic vase.

Germany 1950

Guido Gambone vintage modern vase

Guido Gambone, Itlay

Rathjen biomorphic lamp base

Australia

Bay Fat Lava vase

Germany

Ceramic White Poodle – Lisa Larson

Gustavsberg, Sweden

Jean Austruy, French

West-German-Rare-Colorful-V lave glaze

Abstract West German lava glaze mid-century vase

West German 1960s-70s pottery Jug StupidEggInteriors

West German 60’s – 70’s jug

StupidEggInteriors – etsy

Le-Vaucour-VallaurisLava-glazed-Lampbase-by-Le-Vaucour,-Vallauris

Lava glazed Lampbase by Le Vaucour, Vallauris

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Also tagged Mid-century pottery, retro, vintageVallauris – 9 Comments

Russel Wright retrospective

July 31, 2010

“—because it is an honest expression of present-day living, modern design should interest all thinking Americans.” … Russel Wright

American modernist designer Russell Wright

Most collector enthusiasts of modernism are familiar with Russel Wright’s ubiquitous, colorful dinnerware designs. Wright is credited with being an influential designer and the one most responsible for the American shift in taste toward modern design in the mid 20 th century. American Modern™, which he produced in 1937 with Bauer Pottery was his most bold statement in that effort.

With over 250 million pieces sold, American Modern™ is this country’s original entry in modern style of dinnerware, and was the largest selling for that period. Russel Wright revolutionized the American home and the way people lived there. His iconic inexpensive, mass produced dinnerware, furniture, appliances, and textiles were not only visually and technically innovative, but were also the tools to achieve his concept of “easier living,” a unique American lifestyle that was gracious yet contemporary and informal. The universal appeal of Russel Wrights pottery designs has been vindicated by the reintroduction of his American Modern™ dinnerware set.

Wright was preoccupied with two design concepts, both aspiring to serve the masses, for much of his career. The “American Way” was formulated in the late 1930s and spawned a product line of ceramics and furniture.The second “Easier Living” was a philosophy first published as a guidebook in 1950. It claimed that families should share chores and reduce personal possessions “to make maintenance easier,” among other things.

In the same way that Pottery Barn has influenced 1990s American taste and design sensibility, the “American Way,” peddled through pamphlets and public appearances to promote the wildly popular American Modern dinnerware, introduced homeowners to an affordable decorating esthetic during the Depression. By the time ” Easier Living “came out, Wright had become obsessed with labor saving devices and esthetic order.

As far a s marketing goes, Russel Wright beat Martha Stewart to the punch by 50 years. He was the first designer to successfully market his wares using his own name as a well-defined brand, and Wright rode the crest of the Modernist wave for over 20 years.

One of Russel Wrights personal achievements was the creation of Manitoga . When Wright first found this property in 1942, it had been damaged by a century of quarrying and lumbering. Over the next three decades, until his death in 1976, he carefully redesigned and re-sculpted Manitoga’s 75 acres using native plants, his training as a theater designer and sculptor, and his innovative design ideas. Though the landscape appears natural, it is actually a careful design of native trees, rocks, ferns, mosses, and wild flowers. Wright created over four miles of paths that wind over creeks, into woods, among boulders, and through ferns and mountain laurel.

This became his residence and design studio. Manitoga is the only 20th century modern homesite open to the public in New York, and one of few on the east coast. Wright considered it his most important creative effort. In 1996 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.