PARIS.- On Wednesday, November 30,
PIASA will hold two auctions highlighting the diversity of artistic expression on the American scene. These sales will feature over 100 ceramic works and a selection of designs from the second half of the 20th century.
Featuring 95 lots, the first session is curated by New York ceramicist Peter Lane. It presents the work of some fifteen artists - including Lane - all based in Brooklyn and close to the artist, including Shizue Imai, Derek Weisberg, Ancil Farrell and William Coggin, whose pieces testify to the formidable dynamism of the contemporary ceramic scene. The second session, with 180 lots, explores the diversity of American design from the 1950s to the 2000s, including pieces by renowned designers such as George Nakashima, Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell, Isamu Noguchi, Edward J. Wormley, Frank Lloyd Wright, and more.
Brooklyn Ceramics curated by Peter Lane
«Creativity thrives in particular places, just as plants flourish in a garden, yet no matter how diverse, they reflect a specific set of conditions. This principle is illustrated in this exhibition - and sale - of artwork from the Bushwick, the Brooklyn neighbourhood where ceramic sculptor Peter Lane has established his studio. In this exhibition, he paints a portrait of the world around him. Indeed, all the artists presented here are personally connected to Lane. Most have been assistants or in residence in his studio. The others are neighbours or friends with their own creative space. They are not united by a common style, but rather by a process that brings them together: to create an independent artistic life through ceramics, the most universal and earthy artistic medium there is,» comments art historian Glenn Adamson about the artistic microcosm that ceramist Peter Lane has created in his New York neighborhood.
Curator of this sale, Peter Lane has chosen to gather around the presentation of some twenty of his own pieces, as well as those of 16 «friendly» creators - Shizue Imai, Derek Weisberg, Ancil Farrell, Carlos Otero, William Coggin, Suzy Goodelman, River Valadez, Michael Dickey, Guy Corriero, Trevor King, Scott Daniel, Julie Terestman, Elizabeth Blake, Pamela Sunday, Colleen Carlson and Mariko Paterson - whose richness of form and texture testifies to the extraordinary potential for experimentation in working with clay. The catalogue includes pieces produced over the past decade, ranging from utilitarian, design-oriented pieces to resolutely sculptural and decorative pieces, each reflecting a distinct style.
American Design
Featuring 180 lots, this auction dedicated to American design from the second half of the 20th century confirms the enthusiasm of this scene’s design lovers.
The catalogue honours key figures such as George Nakashima, Isamu Noguchi, Frank Lloyd Wright and Phillip Lloyd Powell... through important sets of pieces, some of which are unique, such as this set of chairs and sidetables (lot 157) designed by Nakashima for his friend Murakami.
We also note the presence of pieces with artistic resonance, such as this selection of tapestries made from drawings by the artist Alexander Calder, the series of enamelled steel furniture by Paul Evans, the wall plaques by Jun Kaneko, or the metal sculptures (bronze, brass and copper) by Harry Bertoia, who is better known for his Diamond series of seats published by Knoll.
Finally, it is hard not to notice this scriban desk - a unique piece - signed by Judy Kensley McKie, whose very eclectic, but even more rare, production unleashes the passion of afficionados.
