- 120
Peter Voulkos
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Peter Voulkos
- "Goshun"
- thrown and glazed stoneware and porcelain
Provenance
Sotheby's New York, March 6, 1993, lot 125
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Exhibited
Peter Voulkos: Current Work, Okun-Thomas Gallery, St. Loius, October 11-November 8, 1980
Clay Revisions: Plate, Cup, Vase, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, November 12, 1987- January 10, 1988
Clay Revisions: Plate, Cup, Vase, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, November 12, 1987- January 10, 1988
Literature
Conrad Brown, "Peter Voulkos," Craft Horizon, September-October 1956, p. 12
Art in Clay: Evolution, Revolution, Continuation, exh. cat., Los Angeles, 1984, pp. 66-67 (for a similar example)
Davira S. Taragin, Contemporary Crafts and the Saxe Collection, Toledo, 1993, p. 129, pl. 95 (for a similar example of the "Stack" form)
Peter Voulkos Retrospective, exh. cat., Tokyo, 1995, p. 94 (for a similar example created in 1977)
Art in Clay: Evolution, Revolution, Continuation, exh. cat., Los Angeles, 1984, pp. 66-67 (for a similar example)
Davira S. Taragin, Contemporary Crafts and the Saxe Collection, Toledo, 1993, p. 129, pl. 95 (for a similar example of the "Stack" form)
Peter Voulkos Retrospective, exh. cat., Tokyo, 1995, p. 94 (for a similar example created in 1977)
Condition
Overall very good condition. Scattered surface dirt to the recessed elements. With a minor loss measuring ½ x ¼ inch to the lower edge, possibly inherent in the making. When examined under blacklight there does not appear to be any areas of restoration. The sculpture throughout with some surface soiling concentrated to recessed portions of the design. This work is large in scale and a very impressive when viewed in person. An important work by the significant figure in the ceramic community.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Peter Voulkos challenged not only himself, but the entire ceramics community, to find new depths within their medium. Early in his career, in a 1956 article, Voulkos simply stated his process: “The minute that you begin to feel you understand what you’re doing it loses that searching quality. You have to forget about the little technical problems that don’t matter-you’ve overcome them long ago anyway. You finally reach a point where you are no longer concerned about keeping this blob of clay centered on the wheel and up in the air. Your emotions take over and what happens just happens.” With perfection no longer the main goal, Voulkos’s work developed a creativity limited only by the simple principle he characterized as “no rules, just concepts.”
The "Stack" form is a perfect example of Voulkos's technical innovations paired with raw emotion. He was inspired to create his towering works by the stone-carved and bronze figurative sculptures of Austrian artist Fritz Wotruba. Wotruba's finely balanced volumetric sculptures deeply influenced Voulkos, by suggesting a method of achieving mass and verticality by anchoring an assemblage of piled elements to a central axis.
The "Stack" form is a perfect example of Voulkos's technical innovations paired with raw emotion. He was inspired to create his towering works by the stone-carved and bronze figurative sculptures of Austrian artist Fritz Wotruba. Wotruba's finely balanced volumetric sculptures deeply influenced Voulkos, by suggesting a method of achieving mass and verticality by anchoring an assemblage of piled elements to a central axis.