Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

Michele Oka Doner
"Pod", Decorative Tatooed Sculptural Ceramic with Transparent Glaze

1965

$8,500
£6,453.05
€7,380.92
CA$11,875.73
A$13,208.41
CHF 6,897.02
MX$160,732.26
NOK 88,085.47
SEK 82,608.63
DKK 55,086.62
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

"Pod" is a precious sculpture with a decorated tactile surface and a warm glaze giving the piece a soft glow. The transparent glaze enhances the creamy tones of the clay. Ms. Oka Doner created unique hand-size sculptures during the 1960s of which the "Pod" is an exquisite example. Her clay technical skills cover a wide range from enormous wall pieces to small decorative pieces that demand to be touched and held. This piece, despite being a fruit, is the perfect example of her famous "Tatooed" figurative sculptures. Michele Oka Doner (born in Miami Beach, Florida, United States) is an American artist and author who works in a variety of media including sculpture, prints, drawings, functional objects and video. She has also worked in costume and set design and has created over 40 public and private permanent art installations. She is best known for her “A Walk On The Beach,” a one and a quarter mile long bronze and terrazzo concourse at Miami International Airport. It is composed of over 9000 bronzes embedded in terrazzo with mother-of-pearl. At one and quarter linear miles, it is one of the largest artworks in the world. She is granddaughter of painter, Samuel Heller. She attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her art instructor Milton Cohen was experimenting with The Space Theater and George Manupelli began the Ann Arbor Film Festival. Their students were engaged in poetry, dance, light, music, all combined into a unitary vision, a motif that shaped Oka Doner's student years and is characteristic of her work today. She participated in a Manupelli experimental film, a "Map Read" performance with art drawing instructor Al Loving and Judsonite dancer Steve Paxton as well as several "Happenings." Another influence was art historian and Islamic scholar, Oleg Grabar, who illustrated how patterns in architecture are able to dissolve space. She received her BS and MFA from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In 2008 she was a U of M Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker. Solo exhibitions of her work have been held at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Michigan; Germans Van Eck Gallery, New York; Diane Brown Gallery, New York; Art & Industrie Gallery, New York; Willoughby, Marlborough Gallery, New York; Studio Stefania Miscetti in Rome; and Gloria Luria Gallery in Miami, Florida. During the 1960s Michelle Oka Doner was living and working in Detroit, Michigan, where she became acquainted with Charles McGee and his gallery located in the Fisher Building. They became collaborators in his artists' studio and both began a new adventure of making handmade paper. Recent solo exhibitions include the Manitoga Arts Center, Garrison, New York (2019), the Marlborough Gallery, New York (2019), the Perez Art Museum Miami (2016), the David Gill Gallery, London (2016), the Marlborough Gallery, New York (2015), Christies gallery, New York (2014), the Dieu Donne Gallery, New York, NY, where she was interviewed by artist, Adam Fuss, and at Miami Biennale (2011). Her first video, A Walk on the Beach premiered at Art Basel Miami Beach (2011) in the public screenings "Art Video" program in SoundScape Park on the 7,000 square foot outdoor projection wall of the New World Center.
  • Creator:
    Michele Oka Doner (1945, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1965
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 6 in (15.24 cm)Width: 11.5 in (29.21 cm)Depth: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Detroit, MI
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU128617691332

More From This Seller

View All
"Stoneware Vessel" Cream Glaze with Organic Decorations, Signed
By Gawaine Dart
Located in Detroit, MI
The rich tones of the stoneware clay come through the soft creamy glaze that drips over the surface like melted vanilla ice cream over red devil cake. This beautifully rendered ceramic vessel is perched on little decorative feet that poke out of the body of the piece. Of particular interest and commanding presence are the decorative forms attached to the top and sides. They twisted shapes of bent organic growth and provide endless entertainment for the creative imagination. American Post War and Contemporary Artist, Gawaine Dart...
Category

1980s More Art

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

Breathtaking John Glick "Scalloped Basket" Glazed Stoneware Reduction Fired
Located in Detroit, MI
"Scalloped Basket" is a stoneware piece with the decorative layer of the rich toned glazes and markings that John was so well-known for. He was, also, known for the undulating lip lines on his exquisite pieces. The basket portion is shaped with gentle curves and a sculptural handle. Each piece that John produced was unique. He was seduced by the effects of the reduction kiln, which decreased the levels of oxygen during firing, inducing the flame to pull oxygen out of the clay and glazes changing the colors of the glazes depending on their iron and copper content. In this way he achieved the rich gradients of ochre and umber and variations in stippling and opacity. This particular "basket" also has the cool blues and grays that contrast with the umber. It is signed and stamped on the bottom. John was an American Abstract Expressionist ceramicist born in Detroit, MI. Though open to artistic experimentation, Glick was most influenced by the styles and aesthetics of Asian pottery—an inspiration that shows in his use of decorative patterns and glaze choices. He has said that he is attracted to simplicity, as well as complexity: my work continually reflects my re-examination that these two poles can coexist… or not, in a given series. Glick also took influences from master potters of Japan, notably Shoji Hamada and Kanjrio Kawai, blending their gestural embellishments of simple forms with attitudes of Abstract Expressionism. He was particularly drown to the work of Helen Frankenthaler whose soak-stain style resonated with Glick’s multi-layered glaze surfaces, which juxtaposed veils of atmospheric color with gestural marks and pattern. He spent countless hours developing and making his own tools in order to achieve previously unseen results in his work with clay and glaze. Glick’s “Plum Tree Pottery...
Category

1970s American Modern Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

John Albert Murphy Porcelain "Dark Days Ahead" Sculptural Nested Bowls
Located in Detroit, MI
"Dark Days Ahead" is in fact a glorious paper-thin porcelain sculpture with fluted sides. The "two bowls and one ball" are nestled and permanently fixed. The black and white linear design to the porcelain is relieved by the movement of the fluted sides of the "bowls." This complex design is both light and airy while being visually weighted by the innermost "ball" being covered in a silver glaze suggesting heavy stainless steel. The ceramic piece is slip cast porcelain, masking tape stenciled and glazed in the style of abstract expressionism, specifically Pointillism.  It was fired in oxidation at 2230 degrees Fahrenheit.  The sphere in the center has luster glaze. John Albert Murphy...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Assemblage Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Glaze

"Ceramic Box with Lid" Stoneware Cream Glaze w/ Organic Attachments
By Gawaine Dart
Located in Detroit, MI
ONE WEEK ONLY SALE The rich tones of the stoneware clay come through the soft creamy glaze that drips over the surface like melted vanilla ice cream over red devil cake. There are i...
Category

1980s More Art

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware, Glaze

Magnificent John Glick Plum Street Pottery "Scalloped Box" Glazed Stoneware
Located in Detroit, MI
This magnificent "Scalloped Box" is a stoneware piece with decorative layers of rich toned glazes and markings that John was so well-known for. He was, also, known for the undulating lip lines on his exquisite boxes that fit together like a puzzle. Each piece that John produced was unique. He was seduced by the effects of the reduction kiln, which decreased the levels of oxygen during firing, inducing the flame to pull oxygen out of the clay and glazes thereby changing the colors of the glazes depending on their iron and copper content. In this way he achieved the rich gradients of ochre and umber and variations in stippling and opacity. This piece is signed and stamped on the bottom. John was an American Abstract Expressionist ceramicist born in Detroit, MI. Though open to artistic experimentation, Glick was most influenced by the styles and aesthetics of Asian pottery—an inspiration that shows in his use of decorative patterns and glaze choices. He has said that he is attracted to simplicity, as well as complexity: my work continually reflects my re-examination that these two poles can coexist… or not, in a given series. Glick also took influences from master potters of Japan, notably Shoji Hamada and Kanjrio Kawai, blending their gestural embellishments of simple forms with attitudes of Abstract Expressionism. He was particularly drown to the work of Helen Frankenthaler whose soak-stain style resonated with Glick’s multi-layered glaze surfaces, which juxtaposed veils of atmospheric color with gestural marks and pattern. He spent countless hours developing and making his own tools in order to achieve previously unseen results in his work with clay and glaze. Glick’s “Plum Tree Pottery...
Category

Late 20th Century American Modern Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

"Barcus Burlwood Vase I" Turned Burlwood Polished Rough, Glass Insert
Located in Detroit, MI
This turned Burlwood vase has rich earth tones with copper highlights. The swirling burl pattern comes through the glossy surface that contrasts with the...
Category

1970s Modern Still-life Sculptures

Materials

Wood

You May Also Like

Sculpture in Glazed and Engobed Stoneware, Jean-Pierre Bonardot, circa 2005-2010
By Jean-Pierre Bonardot
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Sculpture in glazed stoneware and engobed by Jean-Pierre Bonardot. Artist signature under the base « JP Bonardot ». Unique piece. Circa 2000-2010. H : 18.9’ x 16.9’ x 9.05’ inches.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Beaux Arts Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Stoneware Sculpture "Solctice", by Mart Schrijvers, 2024
By Mart Schrijvers
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Engobed stoneware sculpture « Solstice » by Mart Schrijvers. Artist signature under the base. 2024. H : 8.3 x 10.6 inches.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Beaux Arts Ceramics

Materials

Stoneware

Alan Wallwork Studio Pottery Split Pod Sculpture
By Alan Wallwork
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
Stoneware studio pottery 'split pod' form designed by Alan Wallwork (British, 1931-2019) and dating from around 1980. The heavily made sculptural pod sta...
Category

Vintage 1980s English Modern Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware

Bulbous Studio Ceramic Glazed Vessel
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Ceramic textured vessel with yellow glaze. The center of the vessel has an opening with hints of red navy and brown. It can be used for holding florals or a finishing piece for displ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Glazed ceramic sculpture by Gisèle Buthod Garçon, circa 1980-1990
By Gisele Buthod Garçon
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Glazed ceramic sculpture by Gisèle Buthod Garçon. Raku fired. Artist monogram and signature under the base. Circa 1980-1990. H : 3.9’ x 5.5’ x 5.5’ inch...
Category

20th Century French Beaux Arts Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

Stoneware Sculpture "Solctice", by Mart Schrijvers, 2024
By Mart Schrijvers
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Engobed stoneware sculpture « Solstice » by Mart Schrijvers. Artist signature under the base. 2024. H : 6.3 x 9.4 inches.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Beaux Arts Ceramics

Materials

Stoneware