Skip to main content

Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

American, 1929-2011

Toshiko Takaezu was an American ceramic artist and painter. She was born to Japanese immigrant parents in Pepeekeo, Hawaii, in 1922. She studied at the Honolulu Museum of Art and the University of Hawaii under Claude Horan from 1948–51.

From 1951–54, Takaezu continued her studies at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where she befriended Finnish ceramist Maija Grotell, who became her mentor. In 1955, Takaezu traveled to Japan, where she studied Buddhism, visited Shoji Hamada and observed the techniques of traditional Japanese pottery, which continued to influence her work. She taught for 10 years at the Cleveland Institute of Art, and then from 1967–92, she taught at Princeton University, where she was awarded an honorary doctorate.

Takaezu retired in 1992 to become a studio artist, living and working in Quakertown, New Jersey, about 30 miles northwest of Princeton. In addition to her studio in New Jersey, Takaezu made many of her larger sculptures at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. She made functional wheel-thrown vessels early in her career. Later, she switched to abstract sculptures with freely applied poured and painted glazes.

In the early 1970s, when Takaezu didn’t have access to a kiln, she painted on canvas. Her work is part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, among many others.

Takaezu was the recipient of the Gold Medal of the American Craft Council and a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation grant. She lived in Hawaii for 10 years and died March 9, 2011, in Honolulu.

Find Toshiko Takaezu art for sale on 1stDibs.

(Biography provided by The Nevica Project LLC)

to
2
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
2
1
1
42
212
178
157
128
2
Artist: Toshiko Takaezu
Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu (INV# NP3927)
Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu (INV# NP3927)

Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu (INV# NP3927)

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

Toshiko Takaezu Closed Form (INV# NP3927) 4.5 x 5 x 5" date unknown signed by artist Toshiko Takaezu (June 17, 1922 – March 9, 2011) was an American ceramic artist and painter. She ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Glaze, Porcelain

Rare Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu
Rare Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu

Rare Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

A VERY EARLY UNTITLED YELLOW CLOSED FORM (INV# NP5476)! Toshiko Takaezu porcelain and glaze 5.5 × 6 × 6” 1968 signed Toshiko Takaezu (June 17, 1922 – March 9, 2011) was an American...

Category

1960s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

Related Items
Abstract Porcelain Form, Elegant Contemporary Sculpture, Polkadot Patterning
Abstract Porcelain Form, Elegant Contemporary Sculpture, Polkadot Patterning

Abstract Porcelain Form, Elegant Contemporary Sculpture, Polkadot Patterning

By Harumi Nakashima

Located in St. Louis, MO

Abstract Porcelain Form, Elegant Contemporary Sculpture, Polkadot Patterning Japanese artist Harumi Nakashima creates free-form ceramic sculptures that feature organic, yet psychede...

Category

2010s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Porcelain, Glaze

"A Disclosing Form 1610", Abstract Ceramic Sculpture, Glazed Surface, Porcelain
"A Disclosing Form 1610", Abstract Ceramic Sculpture, Glazed Surface, Porcelain

"A Disclosing Form 1610", Abstract Ceramic Sculpture, Glazed Surface, Porcelain

By Harumi Nakashima

Located in St. Louis, MO

Japanese artist Harumi Nakashima creates free-form ceramic sculptures that feature organic, yet psychedelic characteristics. Nakashima, mostly known for beautifully structured, odd g...

Category

2010s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Glaze

Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture, 9 x 14 in, Glazed Stoneware, Judith Ernst
Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture, 9 x 14 in, Glazed Stoneware, Judith Ernst

Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture, 9 x 14 in, Glazed Stoneware, Judith Ernst

By Judith Ernst

Located in St. Louis, MO

Contemporary Ceramic Sculpture, 9 x 14 in, Glazed Stoneware, Judith Ernst Originally from the Northwest with a B.A. from Stanford University, I have painted, published illuminated b...

Category

2010s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware, Glaze

"Tousle", Contemporary, Gestural, Ceramic, Cream, Blue, Stoneware, Sculpture
"Tousle", Contemporary, Gestural, Ceramic, Cream, Blue, Stoneware, Sculpture

"Tousle", Contemporary, Gestural, Ceramic, Cream, Blue, Stoneware, Sculpture

By Sara Fine-Wilson

Located in Franklin, MA

Sara Fine-Wilson's "Tousle" is a gestural 13 x 10 x 8.5 inch ceramic sculpture in white and cream with accents of grey and blue. It is constructed out of white stoneware with porcelain...

Category

2010s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze, Slip

"Bloom", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Cream, Grey, Stoneware, Sculpture
"Bloom", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Cream, Grey, Stoneware, Sculpture

"Bloom", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Cream, Grey, Stoneware, Sculpture

By Sara Fine-Wilson

Located in Franklin, MA

Sara Fine-Wilson's "Bloom" is a gestural 13 x 14 x 10.5 inch ceramic sculpture in white and cream with accents of grey and teal. It is constructed out of white stoneware and layered ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

"Naked Truth", Abstract Porcelain Sculpture, Surface Illustration, Underglaze
"Naked Truth", Abstract Porcelain Sculpture, Surface Illustration, Underglaze

"Naked Truth", Abstract Porcelain Sculpture, Surface Illustration, Underglaze

By Kevin Snipes

Located in St. Louis, MO

Kevin Snipes creates ceramic vessel forms that act as canvases for self referential narratives that are brought to the viewer through a combination of illustration and symbolism, obs...

Category

2010s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic, Clay, Porcelain, Glaze, Underglaze

Contemporary, Porcelain, Sculpture, Abstract, Design, Harumi Nakashima, Japanese
Contemporary, Porcelain, Sculpture, Abstract, Design, Harumi Nakashima, Japanese

Contemporary, Porcelain, Sculpture, Abstract, Design, Harumi Nakashima, Japanese

By Harumi Nakashima

Located in St. Louis, MO

Contemporary, Porcelain, Sculpture, Abstract, Design, Harumi Nakashima, Japanese Harumi Nakashima is the Director of Tajimi City Pottery Design and Technical Center. Based in the p...

Category

2010s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Glaze

Large Yellow Arch Stoneware Free Standing Sculpture by Jill Birschbach
Large Yellow Arch Stoneware Free Standing Sculpture by Jill Birschbach

Large Yellow Arch Stoneware Free Standing Sculpture by Jill Birschbach

Located in Chicago, IL

An evocative and imposing contemporary ceramic sculpture, *Large Yellow Arch* (2020) is a masterful exploration of architecture, industrial memory, and corporeal form by Midwest-base...

Category

2010s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

"Fragment", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Brown, Stoneware, Sculpture
"Fragment", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Brown, Stoneware, Sculpture

"Fragment", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Brown, Stoneware, Sculpture

By Sara Fine-Wilson

Located in Franklin, MA

Sara Fine-Wilson's "Fragment" is a 12.5 x 14 x 9 inch gestural sculpture in neutral whites and variegated shades of brown constructed by combining different colored clay bodies together. The artist creates multiple slab forms in white and medium brown stoneware...

Category

2010s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

"Plume", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Cream, Grey, Stoneware, Sculpture
"Plume", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Cream, Grey, Stoneware, Sculpture

"Plume", Abstract, Gestural, Ceramic, White, Cream, Grey, Stoneware, Sculpture

By Sara Fine-Wilson

Located in Franklin, MA

Sara Fine-Wilson's "Plume" is a gestural 14 x 8.5 x 7.5 inch ceramic sculpture in white and cream with accents of grey and teal. It is constructed out of white stoneware and layered ...

Category

2010s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

Previously Available Items
Rare Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu
Rare Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu

Rare Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

Toshiko Takaezu stoneware and glaze 6.5 x 4.5 x 4.5" date unknown signed Provenance- Private collection Perimeter Gallery, Chicago Toshiko Takaezu (June 17, 1922 – March 9, 2011) w...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

Untitled Two Handled Cup (INV# NP5104) by Toshiko Takaezu
Untitled Two Handled Cup (INV# NP5104) by Toshiko Takaezu

Untitled Two Handled Cup (INV# NP5104) by Toshiko Takaezu

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

Rare Untitled Two Handled Cup (INV# NP5104) Toshiko Takaezu porcelain and glaze 2 x 7.5 x 3.75” date unknown signed TT

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Modern Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Glaze

Untitled Black Closed Form (INV# NP5096) by Toshiko Takaezu
Untitled Black Closed Form (INV# NP5096) by Toshiko Takaezu

Untitled Black Closed Form (INV# NP5096) by Toshiko Takaezu

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

Untitled Black Closed Form (INV# NP5096) Toshiko Takaezu porcelain and glaze 7.25 x 5 x 5” date unknown signed TT

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Expressionist Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Glaze

Large Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu (INV# NP5031)
Large Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu (INV# NP5031)

Large Closed Form by Toshiko Takaezu (INV# NP5031)

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

Toshiko Takaezu Large Closed Form (INV# NP5031) 10.75 x 8.5 x 8.5" 1980 signed by artist Toshiko Takaezu (June 17, 1922 – March 9, 2011) was an American ceramic artist and painter. ...

Category

1980s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

Closed Form with Rattles by Toshiko Takaezu
Closed Form with Rattles by Toshiko Takaezu

Closed Form with Rattles by Toshiko Takaezu

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

Toshiko Takaezu woodfired stoneware 8 x 5.5 x 5.5” date unknown signed BIO- Toshiko Takaezu (June 17, 1922 – March 9, 2011) was an American ceramic artist and painter. She was born ...

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze

Closed Form with Rattle by Toshiko Takaezu (INV# NP3160)
Closed Form with Rattle by Toshiko Takaezu (INV# NP3160)

Closed Form with Rattle by Toshiko Takaezu (INV# NP3160)

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

Toshiko Takaezu Closed Form with Rattle porcelain, glaze 4 x 4 x 4" 1982 Toshiko Takaezu (June 17, 1922 – March 9, 2011) was an American ceramic artist an...

Category

1980s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Glaze

massive Moonpot by Toshiko Takaezu
massive Moonpot by Toshiko Takaezu

massive Moonpot by Toshiko Takaezu

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

Toshiko Takaezu Large Moonpot stoneware and underglaze circa 1985 * There are slight firing cracks which occurred during the process. We have shown these images to the estate and th...

Category

1980s Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Stoneware, Glaze, Underglaze

Small Moon Pot
Small Moon Pot

Small Moon Pot

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

porcelain and glaze signed by artist *slight chip repaired to rim

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Glaze

Moon Pot with Rattles
Moon Pot with Rattles

Moon Pot with Rattles

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

stoneware and glaze signed by artist

Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Glaze

Moon Pot with Rattles
Moon Pot with Rattles

Moon Pot with Rattles

By Toshiko Takaezu

Located in Morton Grove, IL

porcelain and glaze

Category

Late 20th Century Contemporary Toshiko Takaezu Sculptures

Materials

Porcelain, Glaze

Toshiko Takaezu sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Toshiko Takaezu sculptures available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Toshiko Takaezu in ceramic, glaze, porcelain and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Toshiko Takaezu sculptures, so small editions measuring 5 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Brian Usher, Glenn A. Green, and Glenn Green.