Frans Wildenhain Ceramic Bottle Vase, Stoneware with White Glaze, circa 1950s

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Frans Wildenhain Ceramic Bottle Vase, Stoneware with White Glaze, circa 1950s

About the Item

Reduction-fired Frans Wildenhain's wheel-thrown glazed stoneware bottle vase. In his pottery, Frans captured the spirit of the times in 1950's ceramics - a period rich in curves, color, abstract design, simplicity, utility, earth tones, and individual creativity. Incised "FW" on the base. Provenance: Acquired from a published Tage Frid designed house in Rochester, NY. Artist's Bio: Frans Rudolf Wildenhain (1905-1980), a well-known sculptor, painter, ceramicist, and teacher, was born in Leipzig, Germany, on June 6, 1905. Wildenhain apprenticed as both a draftsman and lithographer before attending the Bauhaus School in Weimar, Germany. While there, he studied under Paul Klee, László Maholy-Nagy, Gerhard Marcks, and Max Krehan. After the Bauhaus closed, he attended the State School of Applied Art at Halle-Saale. In 1933, he moved to Holland where he operated a workshop in Putten with his wife, the well-known ceramics artist, Marguerite Wildenhain. By 1941, he had moved his workshop to Amsterdam where he taught at the School for Applied Arts. After the end of World War II, he immigrated to the United States and worked in partnership with Marguerite Wildenhain, fiber artist Trude Guermonprez, and jewelry designer Victor Ries at the Pond Farm workshops in Guerneville, California. By 1950, the Wildenhain’s marriage had fallen apart, and Frans then accepted an offer to join the faculty of the School of American Craftsmen (now School for American Crafts) at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, where he taught for 20 years. Frans and Marguerite’s divorce became final in 1952, and Frans subsequently remarried, to Marjorie McIlroy (who died in 1967), and then to Elisabeth (Lili) Brockardt, a weaver and textile artist. During his time at RIT he was co-founder of Shop One with Tage Frid, Jack Prip and Ronald Pearson. He died in 1980. Wildenhain received numerous awards for his works including prizes from the International Exposition in Paris in 1939, the Albright Art Gallery in 1952, and the Brussels World's Fair in 1958. His works are owned by the following institutions: Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam); Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.); Everson Museum (Syracuse, New York); Seattle Art Museum; and, the Art Institute of Chicago. Wildenhain was featured in over 200 exhibitions including shows at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), the San Francisco Museum of Art, the Des Moines Art Center, the University of California at Los Angeles, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. He contributed ceramics designs to Art and Architecture, House Beautiful, Craft Horizons and other publications. He created commissioned works for several venues including the Strasenburgh Lab (Rochester, New York), the National Library of Medicine in (Bethesda, Maryland), and Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY). Wildenhain was the subject of numerous articles in both domestic and international art journals, art reference books, and newspapers. Many of his personal papers are housed at the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution and the Luther College Archives. Recently, Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY) organized the largest exhibition of his work "Frans Wildenhain (1950-1975): Creative and Commercial American Ceramics at Mid-century". Comprising of over 300 works this exhibition principally featured Wildenhain ceramics from the personal collection of Robert Bradley Johnson and was on view from August 20, 2012 to October 2, 2012 at RIT. The exhibition simultaneously was held on campus at both Bevier Gallery and Dyer Arts Center accompanied by a 256-page hard cover catalogue - Bruce A. Austin, Frans Wildenhain 1950-75: Creative and Commercial American Ceramics at Mid-Century. Rochester, NY: Printing Applications Lab, 2012. ISBN 978-0-615-64527-8. This catalogue/book features color photographs of all ceramics displayed, black and white archival photographs, and five scholarly essays: a biography of Frans Wildenhain, a history of the School for American Craftsmen, Wildenhain's work in the context of mid-century modern studio pottery, Wildenhain's role in monetizing and creating commercial acceptance for hand-crafted art at his Shop One artist's cooperative, and an interview with the RIT collection's donor.

Creator:
Frans Wildenhain (Artist)
Dimensions:
Height: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)Diameter: 4 in (10.16 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Ceramic,Glazed
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1950s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: 1504208633663