Peter Voulkos was a West Coast sculptor known for incorporating an array of modernist influences into his ceramics practice. Widely acknowledged as the progenitor of a profound transformation in American ceramics known variously as American Clay Revolution or the California Clay Movement, Voulkos is considered the seminal figure in the development of contemporary ceramic art in America.
As both a working artist and educator, Voulkos was instrumental in unleashing a transformative wave of creativity in clay. As the originating force behind a novel, uniquely American movement in ceramics, Voulkos’ legacy and present-day influence on the medium cannot be overstated.
Voulkos studied painting and printmaking under the GI Bill at Montana State College after serving as an airplane gunner in the US Army in World War II. He soon discovered a passion for sculpture, graduating with an MFA in 1952.
An influential educator with a lengthy career at various institutions, Voulkos established the ceramics department at the Los Angeles County Art Institute (now the Otis College of Art and Design), where he taught from 1954–59, and at the University of California, Berkeley, where he taught from 1959 until his retirement in 1985. He also taught at Black Mountain College and the Archie Bray Foundation.
Voulkos toured universities throughout the United States conducting live ceramic workshops to audiences until his death. Notable students of his include Paul Soldner, John Mason, Ken Price, Billy Al Bengston, Ron Nagle, Stephen de Staebler and James Melchert.
Voulkos was the recipient of many awards throughout his career, including the Gold Medal at the International Exposition of Ceramics (1995, Cannes, France); the Rodin Museum Prize at the First Paris Biennale (1955, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France); a Guggenheim Fellowship (1984); a Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement (1997, College Art Association); and honorary doctorates from four American art schools.
Artworks by Voulkos have been exhibited at major institutions around the world, including at the Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY); the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, NY); the Museum of Art and Design (New York, NY); the Smithsonian Museum of American Art (Washington, D.C.); the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles, CA); the San Francisco Museum of Art (San Francisco, CA); the Seattle Art Museum (Seattle, WA); the American Craft Museum (New York, NY) and the National Museum of Modern Art (Tokyo, Japan).
Voulkos has artworks in in the permanent collections of many major international institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY); the Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY); the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC); the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles, CA); the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia, PA); the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA); and many more.
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Voulkos, Ceramic Sculptural bowl hand signed by renowned sculptor and ceramicist
By Peter Voulkos
Located in New York, NY
Peter Voulkos Ceramic Sculptural Dish, ca. 1985 Sculpted ceramic Hand-signed by artist, Incised signature on the base. 1.5 x 11.5 inches This charger plate by Voulkos features a Gree...
Ceramic, Glaze, Mixed Media
Price Upon Request
Plate CR952-W
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Kansas City, MO
Peter Voulkos Title: Plate CR952-W Medium: Woodfired ceramic Year: 1989 Signed and dated by the artist Size: approx. 20.5 x 5 inches A West Coast potter and sculptor, Peter Voulkos (1924-2002) led in the development of pottery as an art form. . With an MFA from California College of Arts and Crafts (1952), he taught at Black Mountain College (1953) where he was exposed to the avant-garde. In 1954, Voulkos moved to Los Angeles to become the chairman of a newly established ceramics department at the Los Angeles County Art Institute (later renamed the Otis Art Institute) and soon assembled a remarkable group of students: Paul Soldner, Jerry Rothman, Kenneth Price, John Mason, Henry Takemoto...
Ceramic
Price Upon Request
Plate CR1056-W
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Kansas City, MO
Peter Voulkos Title: Plate CR1056-W Medium: Woodfired ceramic Year: 1992 Signed and dated by the artist Size: approx. 24 x 4.5 inches A West Coast potter and sculptor, Peter Voulkos (1924-2002) led in the development of pottery as an art form. . With an MFA from California College of Arts and Crafts (1952), he taught at Black Mountain College (1953) where he was exposed to the avant-garde. In 1954, Voulkos moved to Los Angeles to become the chairman of a newly established ceramics department at the Los Angeles County Art Institute (later renamed the Otis Art Institute) and soon assembled a remarkable group of students: Paul Soldner, Jerry Rothman, Kenneth Price, John Mason, Henry Takemoto...
Ceramic
Price Upon Request
Plate 1329-W
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Kansas City, MO
Peter Voulkos Title: Plate 1329-W Medium: Woodfired ceramic Year: 1998 Signed and dated by the artist Size: approx. 20.5 x 21 x 5.25 inches A West Coast potter and sculptor, Peter V...
Ceramic
Price Upon Request
Plate CR1190-W
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Kansas City, MO
Peter Voulkos Title: Plate CR1190-W Medium: Woodfired ceramic Year: 1995 Signed and dated by the artist Size: approx. 19.5 x 20.5 x 5.75 inches A West Coast potter and sculptor, Peter Voulkos (1924-2002) led in the development of pottery as an art form. . With an MFA from California College of Arts and Crafts (1952), he taught at Black Mountain College (1953) where he was exposed to the avant-garde. In 1954, Voulkos moved to Los Angeles to become the chairman of a newly established ceramics department at the Los Angeles County Art Institute (later renamed the Otis Art Institute) and soon assembled a remarkable group of students: Paul Soldner, Jerry Rothman, Kenneth Price, John Mason, Henry...
Ceramic
Price Upon Request
Wood Fired Platter
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Kansas City, MO
Wood Fired Platter Material: Stoneware and woodfired Year: 1989 Signed Dimensions: 3 x 22 x 22" Provenance - Charles Cowles Gallery, NYC A West Coast potte...
Stoneware
$1,298
H 1.97 in W 13.78 in D 1.97 in
1980 Italy Post-Modern Abstract Kinetic Sculpture Les Simonnet Polimorphes
Located in Brescia, IT
This engaging and kinetic artwork was created by the French artist Jean Marie and Marthe Simonnet Title "Polimorphes" translated in "Polymorphic". This artwork is Kinetic and can c...
Plastic
Sculpture ceramic vessel: 'Creature Medium 2'
By Ak Jansen
Located in New York, NY
Ak Jansen was born in Dongen, The Netherlands, in 1988. He studied at the Design Academy Eindhoven focusing on textile design, material culture, and techniques of fabrication. He wor...
Clay, Glaze
$2,400Sale Price|40% Off
H 26 in W 7 in D 5 in
Untitled abstract expressionist mid-century modern sculpture
By Thomas Morin
Located in Wilton Manors, FL
Thomas Morin (1934-2017) Untitled, 1962. Cast iron on wood base. Cast sculpture measures 24 x 7 x 5 inches and weighs 49 lbs. Overall measures 26 inches tall on wood base. Proc...
Iron
Aura - Chrome metallic glazed ceramic sculpture
Located in East Quogue, NY
Hand-pitched chrome metallic glazed ceramic sculpture vessel by Jessamyn Go. White Stoneware, Bronze Metallic Glaze, 8" x 7 x 3.5 inches Jessamyn Go's work is deeply rooted in the ...
Ceramic, Stoneware, Glaze
$38,509Sale Price|20% Off
H 9.53 in Dm 3.94 in
Ceramic Owl Vase (A.R. 135) from the Madoura Pottery by Pablo Picasso
By Pablo Picasso
Located in London, GB
Mid-Century earthenware vase with painted owl decoration, by Pablo Picasso, Vallauris, France (1952). This is a vintage, limited edition earthenware creation, in a run of 500 (Edition Picasso) at the Madoura pottery...
Ceramic
Pichet a Glace
By Pablo Picasso
Located in New York, NY
PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973) Pichet à glace, 1952 White earthenware clay, decora[on in oxides, knife engraved on white enamel 13 1⁄2 inches ; 33 cm Numbered ‘78/ 100' and annotated ’Edi...
Ceramic
$4,250
H 6.25 in W 6 in D 2 in
Mid-Century Modern Abstract Bronze Sculpture by Edward Arcenio Chavez
By Edward Arcenio Chavez
Located in Denver, CO
This captivating mid-20th-century abstract bronze sculpture by Edward (Eduardo) Arcenio Chavez (1917–1995) is a powerful example of the artist’s modernist sculptural language. Cast i...
Granite, Bronze
$1,950
H 6.5 in W 2.75 in
Eugene Caples "Bronze Sculpture I" Abstract Bronze Sculpture
By Eugene Caples
Located in Detroit, MI
This small exquisite "Bronze Sculpture I" is in excellent condition and a perfect example of Eugene Caples craftsmanship. Although it is mainly abstract, there are bits that look figurative either an arm or a leg attempting to emerge from a fold or attempting to hold a pose such as in yoga. It cries out to be touched and held, looked at and caressed. The beautiful patina on the surface gives voice to the many hands that have done these things. Eugene Caples is a designer and craftsman who worked in Kansas City in the 1960s and later through the early 21st century. He attended the Kansas City Art Institute, earning his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Industrial Design in 1959. In 1963 he was accepted to Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The Cranbrook Academy of Art was designed by architect and faculty member, Eliel Saarinen who collaborated with Charles and Ray Eames on chair and furniture design. Numerous creative artists are alumni of Cranbrook and include: Harry Bertoia, Florence Knoll, Jack Lenor Larsen, Donald Lipski, Duane Hanson, Nick Cave, Hani Rashid, George Nelson, Urban Jupena (Nationally recognized fiber artist), Artis Lane (the first African-American artist to have her sculpture, "Sojourner Truth," commissioned for the Emancipation Hall in the Capital Visitor Center in Washington DC), Cory Puhlman (televised Pastry Chef extraordinaire), Thom O’Connor (Lithographs), and Paul Evans (Created Brutalist-inspired sculpted metal furnishings.) Gene worked...
Bronze
$2,450
H 17 in W 12 in D 7 in
Vessel in White and Gold - No 119, Contemporary Abstract Ceramic Sculpture
By Beverly Morrison
Located in Boston, MA
Vessel in White and Gold - No 119, Abstract Ceramic Sculpture, 2022 17" x 12" x 7" (HxWxD) This ceramic vessel is formed in an organic shape, with its rounded shape almost resemblin...
Clay, Porcelain, Stoneware
$875
H 6.5 in W 11 in D 6 in
Modernist Ceramic Platinum-Plated Crouching Man Sculpture by Jaru, circa 1970
By Jaru
Located in New York, NY
This Modernist ceramic sculptures depicts an abstracted and cubist human form sitting cross legged with his back bent forward and arms outstretched. The sculpture, realized by Jaru o...
Ceramic
$1,480Sale Price|20% Off
H 16.5 in W 5.5 in D 5 in
Tall Metallic Palladium Abstract Expressionist Brutalist Totem Sculpture
By Judy Engel
Located in Hudson, NY
Hand built heavily glazed solid ceramic structure by NY artist Judy Engel. Expressionist style hand built and heavily glazed in a high metallic palladium glaze. Judy's first introduction to this style was the Empire State Plaza in Albany, NY. "In the 1970s, upstate school kids...
Ceramic, Glaze
Creation Myth, Hand made Ceramic Vase Sculpture
Located in Miami Beach, FL
This vessel was built using the traditional and ancient methods of coil building. Through this meditative process, ancestral connections are drawn. The composition wraps around the f...
Porcelain, Paint
Sold
H 4.25 in W 6.5 in D 5.5 in
Large Tea Bowl (blue glaze) - FOR SPENCER
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Kansas City, MO
Peter Voulkos Large Teabowl (blue glaze) Stoneware and wood fired Circa mid-1990s 4.25 x 6.5 x 5.5 in Signed (bottom) COA provided
Stoneware, Glaze
Two Large Tea Bowls (brown and blue glaze)
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Kansas City, MO
60% OFF LIST PRICE - LIMITED TIME Peter Voulkos Large Tea Bowl (brown glaze) Stoneware and wood fired Circa mid-1990s 4.5 x 6 x 6 in Large Teabowl (blue glaze) Stoneware and wood ...
Stoneware, Glaze
Large Tea Bowl (blue glaze)
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Kansas City, MO
60% OFF LIST PRICE - LIMITED TIME! Peter Voulkos Large Teabowl (blue glaze) Stoneware and wood fired Circa mid-1990s 4.25 x 6.5 x 5.5 in Signed (bottom) COA provided Ref.: 924802-1003 Peter Voulkos (popular name of Panagiotis Voulkos; January 29, 1924 – February 16, 2002) was an American artist of Greek descent. He is known for his abstract expressionist ceramic sculptures, which crossed the traditional divide between ceramic crafts and fine art. While his early work was fired in electric and gas kilns, later in his career he primarily fired in the anagama kiln of Peter Callas, who had helped to introduce Japanese wood firing aesthetics in the United States. After serving in the United States Army during the Second World War, Voulkos studied painting and printmaking at Montana State College, in Bozeman (now Montana State University), where he was also introduced to ceramics; Frances Senska...
Stoneware, Glaze
Large Tea Bowl (brown glaze)
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Kansas City, MO
(60% OFF LIST PRICE - LIMITED TIME!) Peter Voulkos Large Tea Bowl (brown glaze) Stoneware and wood fired Circa mid-1990s 4.5 x 6 x 6 in Signed (bottom) COA provided Ref.: 924802-1004 Peter Voulkos (popular name of Panagiotis Voulkos; January 29, 1924 – February 16, 2002) was an American artist of Greek descent. He is known for his abstract expressionist ceramic sculptures, which crossed the traditional divide between ceramic crafts and fine art. While his early work was fired in electric and gas kilns, later in his career he primarily fired in the anagama kiln of Peter Callas, who had helped to introduce Japanese wood firing aesthetics in the United States. After serving in the United States Army during the Second World War, Voulkos studied painting and printmaking at Montana State College, in Bozeman (now Montana State University), where he was also introduced to ceramics; Frances Senska...
Stoneware, Glaze
Clay Charger
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Missouri, MO
Claycharger, 1980 By Peter Voulkos (1924-2002) Diameter: 21" Height: 5" Signed and Dated on the Bottom Few artists can revolutionize an ancient medium, but Peter Voulkos did just th...
Clay
Teabowl by Peter Voulkos (INV# NP3105)
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Peter Voulkos Teabowl Wood fired stoneware 4.5 x 8.25 x 7.5" Signed by artist 1994 A West Coast potter and sculptor, Peter Voulkos (1924-2002) led in the development of pottery as a...
Ceramic, Stoneware
Untitled Charger (Gas Fired)
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Kansas City, MO
Peter Voulkos Untitled Charger Gas Fired Year: 1973 Size: 20" diameter 4 1/2"deep Signed and dated by the artist A West Coast potter and sculptor, Peter Vou...
Ceramic
Untitled platter
By Peter Voulkos
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Peter Voulkos stoneware, porcelain, slip, woodfired fired 22 x 4.5 x 21" (inches) 1979 Signed on bottom “Voulkos 79” provenance- Toshiko Takaezu collection *note, very slight restora...
Clay