Monumental Stan Bitters Stoneware Ceramic Planter for Hans Sumpf
By Hans Sumpf, Stan Bitters
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Materials: Unglazed Stoneware
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters
Materials
Stoneware
Stan Bitters
American, b. 1936
An icon of modernist ceramics since the 1960s, Stan Bitters constructed rough assemblages of clay slabs and spoked wheels into massive murals and tall totems, upsizing his medium to an architectural scale.
Like Toshiko Takaezu, Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner and others, Bitters was part of a small group of American artists during the mid-20th-century who embraced imperfection in their pottery.
Working in ceramics, a material that during the last 100 years was relegated to the supposedly lesser artistic realm of craft, Bitters and these other artists made bold, chunky pieces that served as a counterpoint to the smooth lines and overall slickness of modern and postmodern movements like Bauhaus, constructivism, minimalism, Op art and Pop art.
Hailing from Fresno, California, the self-proclaimed “old hippie” Bitters earned his bachelor’s degree in painting from UCLA. He also studied at what became Otis College in Los Angeles under Voulkos — the bad boy of American ceramics.
Voulkos almost single-handedly spawned what came to be known as the California Clay Movement and flouted pottery’s approved techniques. He transformed clay into a vibrant, highly expressive artistic medium, and Bitters’ funky, fractured style certainly shows it.
Bitters later became associated with organic modernism and created ceramics for Hans Sumpf, a maker of adobe bricks and furniture in Madera.
“Known for his Abstract Expressionist style, Bitters is a steadfast champion of environmental ceramics — the melding of natural, organic clay forms, sculptures and architectural elements into urban spaces to complement, transform and elevate their surroundings,” says Greg Nielson, of Dwell Floor Five, in Studio City, California.
With their sputtery glazes and graffiti-esque glyphs, Bitters’s works exude raw, countercultural energy.
Find Stan Bitters decorative objects, garden ornaments, planters and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
| Average Sold Price |
| $7,010 |
| Styles |
| Materials |
| Related Creators |
Stan Bitters Bird Houses in Spray Metal, USA, 2017
By Stan Bitters
Located in Berlin, DE
Excellent handmade bird houses of porous lowlfier clay in spray metal by Stan Bitters. The birdhouses are available in different colors. The houses are a favorite with finches.
Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters
Materials
Clay
Stan Bitters Bird Houses in Glazed Ceramic, USA, 2017
By Stan Bitters
Located in Berlin, DE
Excellent handmade bird houses of glazed lowlfier clay by Stan Bitters. The birdhouses are available in different colors. The houses are a favourite with finches.
Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters
Materials
Clay
Mushroom Table and Stools by Stan Bitters for Hans Sumpf Company, USA 1970s
$28,500 / item
H 20.75 in Dm 27 in
Mushroom Table and Stools by Stan Bitters for Hans Sumpf Company, USA 1970s
By Hans Sumpf, Stan Bitters
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful and rare mushroom table and stools set by noted Californian ceramicist, Stan Bitters for Hans Sumpf company. As a pioneer of the organic modernist craft movement in the 1960s, Bitters has been producing rough-hewn ceramic birdhouses...
Category
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters
Materials
Concrete
Set of Three Stan Bitters Thumbpots, Mid-Century Modern, USA
$18,465Sale Price / set|20% Off
H 30.91 in Dm 30.91 in
Set of Three Stan Bitters Thumbpots, Mid-Century Modern, USA
By Stan Bitters
Located in Berlin, DE
Set of a large brown, a medium white and a small black thumbpot by Fresno, California Artist Stan Bitters. The planters are hand-built with thumbprint design. The hand-built, organic...
Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters
Materials
Ceramic, Clay
Stan Bitters for Hans Sumpf Co. Mid Century Thumbpot Pottery Planter
$2,495
H 10 in W 18.5 in D 18.5 in
Stan Bitters for Hans Sumpf Co. Mid Century Thumbpot Pottery Planter
By Stan Bitters, Hans Sumpf
Located in Franklin Park, IL
Stan Bitters for Hans Sumpf Co. Mid Century Thumbpot Pottery Planter This planter measures: 18.5 wide x 18.5 deep x 10 inches high We take our photos in a controlled lighting studi...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters
Materials
Ceramic
Stan Bitters Cactus Sculpture, Ceramic, Mid-Century Modern, USA, 2005
$42,500
H 62.21 in W 28.35 in D 16.93 in
Stan Bitters Cactus Sculpture, Ceramic, Mid-Century Modern, USA, 2005
By Stan Bitters
Located in Berlin, DE
One of a kind Stan Bitters ceramic cactus leaf sculpture. Signed "Bitters 05".
Category
Early 2000s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters
Materials
Ceramic
Stan Bitters Mid-Century Modern Lantern, Glazed Ceramic, USA, 2017
By Stan Bitters
Located in Berlin, DE
This black lantern in glazed ceramic is handmade by Stan Bitters. Warm light soaks through the different openings. One model A / E27 Bulb 40 watts. To be on the safe side, the lamp...
Category
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters
Materials
Ceramic
Browse all Furniture from Stan Bitters
Shop NowStan Bitters Sale Prices
This data represents a recent sample of sales made on 1stDibs during the specified years. All sales are anonymized.
| Sold Date | Sold Price | Category | Material | Creation Year | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| $7,010 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $675-$28,500 |
| Sold price range of items in the past 12 months |
Creators Similar to Stan Bitters
Stan Bitters furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
Stan Bitters furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of ceramic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Stan Bitters furniture, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 11 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 8 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Stan Bitters were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the 20th century. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by John Follis, Walter Lamb, and Danny Alessandro. Prices for Stan Bitters furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $550 and can go as high as $42,500, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $2,761.
Questions About Stan Bitters
- 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 19, 2025The kind of artwork that Stan Bitters is famous for is ceramics. He has been an icon of modernist ceramics since the 1960s. Bitters constructed rough assemblages of clay slabs and spoked wheels into massive murals and tall totems, upsizing his medium to an architectural scale. Like Toshiko Takaezu, Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner and others, Bitters was part of a small group of artists working in the United States during the mid-20th century who embraced imperfection in their pottery. Working in ceramics, a material that was then relegated to the supposedly lesser artistic realm of craft, Bitters and these artists made bold, chunky pieces that served as a counterpoint to the smooth lines and overall slickness of modern and postmodern movements like Bauhaus, Constructivism, Minimalism, Op art and Pop art. On 1stDibs, shop a range of Stan Bitters ceramics.