EVA ZEISELART DECO BAUHAUS GEOMETRIC SCHRAMBERGNICE

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is a fabulous plate by EVA ZEISEL (1906 -): Ceramics designer Eva Zeisel began a prolific career in her late teens and continues to create innovative pieces into the next century. She was born in Budapest and pursued a career in painting, studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, but left in search of a more craft-oriented trade. She was apprenticed to a ceramist and soon became one of the first female journeyman potters, holding positions during the 1920s at the Kispester factory, in Schramberg and for Christian Carstens Kommerz. In 1928 she became the designer for the Schramberger Majolikafabrik in the Black Forest region of Germany and worked t for about two years creating many designs for tea sets, vases, inkwells and many other ceramic items. Her designs at Schramberg were largely based on geometry and were clearly influenced by the Bauhaus design school in Weimar and later Dessau. Her work from this period-- tea sets, bowls, vases, and dinnerware-- reflect a style influenced largely by the geometry of the Bauhaus and by the abstract shapes of sculptor Hans Arp. The pieces possess an innate understanding of how ceramics work as an ensemble and how they can set the tone of a space. She created functional modern sets as well as a number of playful designs decorated with animals, a motif that would continue throughout her career. Schramberg pottery was designed for mass production, and both the clay and glazes tended to chip easily. It is all but impossible to find pristine "mint" pieces. Many of these pieces have small glaze chips or use marks. These are not noticeable except upon close inspection. In 1932 Zeisel moved to Russia, drawn by the folk art and the peasant customs that still thrived t She worked at factories in the Ukraine, the Lomonosov Factory in Leningrad and the Dulevo factory near Moscow, at that time one of the biggest ceramics factories in world. After working her way up to art director of the China and Glass Industry of the Russian Republic, she was forced to leave by the increasingly hostile attitudes towards foreigners. In 1938 she moved to England to escape the Nazi occupation of Austria, and married sociologist Hans Zeisel. The couple immigrated to the United States in late 1938. One of Zeisel's first commissions in America was designing giftware for the Bay Ridge Specialty Company. When she started teaching at Pratt in 1939, a position she would hold until 1953, she arranged an innovative apprenticeship for her students through Bay Ridge, offering them a unique opportunity to gain professional experience. She received a great deal of acclaim for this system and often included her students' work in commissions, like the 1942 "Stratoware" dinnerware for Sears Roebuck. In 1942, after the MoMA's "Organic Design in Home Furnishings" exhibit, the Castleton company asEngland to escape the Nazi occupation of Austria, and married sociologist Hans Zeisel. The couple immigrated to the United States in late 1938. One of Zeisel's first commissions in America was designing giftware for the Bay Ridge Specialty Company. When she started teaching at Pratt in 1939, a position she would hold until 1953, she arranged an innovative apprenticeship for her students through Bay Ridge, offering them a unique opportunity to gain professional experience. She received a great deal of acclaim for this system and often included her students' work in commissions, like the 1942 "Stratoware" dinnerware for Sears Roebuck. In 1942, after the MoMA's "Organic Design in Home Furnishings" exhibit, the Castleton company asked the museum to find a ceramist who could show a series that would define a new era of modern china. Zeisel was chosen, and her 1946 "Museum" series was unveiled at a solo show called "Modern China by Eva Zeisel." She wrote that for the show she, "gave all the pieces an erect, uplifted look, as if they were growing up from the table." Going so far as to consult Emily Post's guide to setting a table, Zeisel created an elegant, all-white service with subtle curves that hint... read more

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