Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

American, 1914-2003

Once dubbed “the Grandfather of L.A. Modernism,” the Chicago-born Emerson Seville Woelffer was active as an innovative painter, collagist, and educator throughout his long and prolific career. A pioneering Abstract Expressionist, Woelffer’s brightly colored work with jagged forms reveals Cubist and Surrealist influences. Coming of age in Chicago during the Great Depression, Woelffer appreciated the improvisational nature of jazz music, a sensibility he would later apply to painting through gestural variation, energetic strokes, and a rhythmic use of line. From 1935 to 1938, Woelffer, a high school dropout, studied at the Art Institute of Chicago while employed as a janitor, early evidence of his enduring work ethic. He joined the Works Progress Administration arts program in 1938 as an easel painter, followed by a two-year stint as a topographical draftsman for the United States Air Force. The director of the Chicago Institute of Design, László Moholy-Nagy, invited Woelffer to join the faculty in 1942. His experiences there brought him into contact with the modernist idiom of the day, and his interactions with students caused him to re-examine his own practice. He also exhibited in group shows at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, participated in the Whitney Museum Annual (1949) and won the Pauline Palmer Prize for painting at the Art Institute of Chicago (1948). In 1949 Emerson Woelffer and his wife Dina, a fine art photographer, were invited by Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner to New York before they headed to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Exposure to Pre-Columbian art led Woelffer to incorporate totemic figures and vibrant colors into his abstract paintings. In 1959 Woelffer joined the faculty at the Chouinard Art Institute (later the California Institute of the Arts) in Los Angeles, where he instructed notable emerging artists until 1973 and where he was instrumental in bringing Modernism to LA. Ed Ruscha was one of his students. In 1974, Woelffer was named chair of the art department at the Otis Art Institute (now the Otis School of Art and Design). His tenure lasted until his retirement in 1989, and he was widely admired for his interdisciplinary approach in the classroom. An endowed scholarship fund in his name provides support for promising young artists and designers. Suffering from macular degeneration, Woelffer switched to drawing with white crayon on black paper in his final years of artistic activity. Emerson won a prestigious Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in 1967 and then went to wprk in Europe. Woelffer’s work is represented in the collections of such distinguished institutions as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, among others.

Creator: Emerson Woelffer

Emerson Woelffer Clay Sculptures, Abstract, Signed and Dated

$3,200

Emerson Woelffer Clay Sculptures, Abstract, Signed and Dated

By Emerson Woelffer

Located in Los Angeles, CA

Icon modernist artist, in these two clay sculptures. Prized individually at $ 3000.00 each Measures are different in each, please contact dealer for more curate size.

Category

1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic, Clay

D. Peterson Ceramic Pitcher and Cups Set Dated 1956

$500 / set

H 9.5 in Dm 6.25 in

D. Peterson Ceramic Pitcher and Cups Set Dated 1956

By D. Peterson

Located in Chicago, IL

This handmade ceramic pitcher and cups set has classically simple forms. The glaze treatment is wonderfully irregular, embracing the spontaneity of the process. The darker glaze on t...

Category

1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Large Signed Abstract Ceramic Sculpture, 1990s Organic Modern Style

$2,520Sale Price|40% Off

H 22 in W 17 in D 9 in

Large Signed Abstract Ceramic Sculpture, 1990s Organic Modern Style

Located in Dallas, TX

Creative abstract ceramic sculpture with many layers, hollow core, polished glaze. Stamped M$.

Category

20th Century North American Organic Modern Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

white and black 20th century ceramic vase abstract decoration signed

$1,036

H 6.3 in W 6.3 in D 6.3 in

white and black 20th century ceramic vase abstract decoration signed

Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR

20th century White and black stoneware ceramic vase Abstract ceramic glazes colors original perfect condition Signed under the base height 16 cm Large 16 cm

Category

Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Mid-Century Modern Glazed Ceramic Sculpture, Dated 1966

$1,180

H 13.5 in W 10 in D 10.5 in

Mid-Century Modern Glazed Ceramic Sculpture, Dated 1966

Located in Stamford, CT

American mid 20th century glazed stoneware geometric sculpture signed and dated 1966. Raw stoneware, a little glaze and some cobalt and iron were the standard elements of the day, al...

Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Stoneware

Vintage Wheel Thrown Studio Pottery Vase, Signed & Dated, Canada, Circa 1975

$416Sale Price|30% Off

H 6.5 in Dm 4.75 in

Vintage Wheel Thrown Studio Pottery Vase, Signed & Dated, Canada, Circa 1975

Located in Chatham, ON

Vintage terracotta wheel thrown studio pottery vase - thick matte butterscotch glaze to the exterior stopping precisely 3/8" from the base rim - dramatic form - signed and dated on the base (Jim...

Category

Late 20th Century Canadian Mid-Century Modern Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

John Gill Vintage Studio Art Pottery Teapot Abstract Ceramic Signed Dated 84

$2,200

H 15 in W 16 in D 7 in

John Gill Vintage Studio Art Pottery Teapot Abstract Ceramic Signed Dated 84

Located in West Palm Beach, FL

John Gill studio art pottery ewer abstract hand thrown raised glazed decoration. Signed and dated 1984 on the bottom. Gill was born in 1949. His work is part of many museums permanen...

Category

1980s American Organic Modern Vintage Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Stoneware

Fine Large Abstract Ceramic Sculpture

$6,800

H 31.75 in W 15 in D 25 in

Fine Large Abstract Ceramic Sculpture

Located in Long Island City, NY

A fine large abstract ceramic sculpture.

Category

1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Stoneware Sculpture with Great Form and Color Signed

$2,200Sale Price|44% Off

H 25.5 in W 21.5 in D 11 in

Stoneware Sculpture with Great Form and Color Signed

Located in Palm Springs, CA

An absolute stunning and large-scale stoneware sculpture with great color and form. Signature is a bit illegible but last name reads what seems Beard with an initial before it. It st...

Category

20th Century American Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Terracotta

20th Century Ceramic Plate, Signed and Dated 87.

$523

H 1.38 in Dm 11.03 in

20th Century Ceramic Plate, Signed and Dated 87.

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

20th century ceramic plate, signed and dated 87. Ceramic plate signed and dated 87, contemporary ceramic, visible firing crack. Dimensions : H: 3.5cm, D: 28cm Contact us before or...

Category

20th Century French Modern Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Abstract Ceramic Sculpture Blue and Yellow Colors by J Morin Modern Design

$2,560

H 14.97 in W 15.75 in D 2.76 in

Abstract Ceramic Sculpture Blue and Yellow Colors by J Morin Modern Design

Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR

J. Morin Abstract ceramic sculpture by the French artist. Elegant blue white and yellow ceramic colors. Signed under the base and dated 2019. Measures: Height 38cm, large...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Big and Beautiful Textured Glaze Bear Sculpture by Rudi Stahl, Germany, Signed

$890

H 8.86 in W 13.39 in D 5.91 in

Big and Beautiful Textured Glaze Bear Sculpture by Rudi Stahl, Germany, Signed

By Rudi Stahl

Located in Niederdorfelden, Hessen

Gorgeous textured glaze bear sculpture. Hand built pottery by Kunsttöpferei Rudi Stahl, German Studio Pottery founded in 1938. An extremely rare pie...

Category

1970s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

1974 Studio Stoneware "Birds" Sculpture Signed Pollack

$950

H 12 in W 7 in D 2 in

1974 Studio Stoneware "Birds" Sculpture Signed Pollack

Located in Brooklyn, NY

Impressive stoneware sculpture in matte sepia with pops of blue and green. Interesting form, with bird motifs incorporating cut outs and open exposures as compositional constructs. ...

Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Emerson Woelffer Ceramics

Materials

Stoneware

Emerson Woelffer ceramics for sale on 1stDibs.

Emerson Woelffer ceramics are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of clay and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Emerson Woelffer ceramics, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider ceramics by and Peter Shire. Prices for Emerson Woelffer ceramics can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $3,200 and can go as high as $3,200, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $3,200.