Magdalene Odundo

Acquired by a private American collector in the early 1990s, and thence by descent to the present owner

London, Anne Berthoud Gallery, Magdalene Odundo, 1987, un-numbered exhibition;
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, New Works: Magdalene Odundo, 1987, un-numbered exhibition, illustrated, with tour to Carmarthen Museum, Ruthin Craft Centre, Aberystwyth Arts Centre and Oriel Mostyn Art Gallery.

Anthony Slayter-Ralph (ed.), Magdalene Odundo, Lund Humphries, Aldershot, 2004, cat. no.30, illustrated p.103.

There are two very tiny, very minor hairline cracks appearing to the inner rim of the top. The first, at approximately 2 o'clock measuring no more than 5mm, and the second at roughly 10 o'clock measuring no more than 15mm. These are only noticeable upon extremely close inspection. Please contact the department for detailed images of these. There is a single, tiny and very light possible horizontal surface rub to the lower underside of the burnished surface, only visible upon extremely close inspection, and a further tiny imperfection to the edge of the flat topped surface, again only visible upon extremely close inspection. This excepting the work appears in very good overall condition. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

We are grateful to the Artist for her kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work.

The work of Magdalene Odundo challenges traditional ideas of art and craft, to form some of the most beautiful and inspiring works made in Britain over the past three decades.  Born in Kenya, Odundo moved to Britain to study at Cambridge in the late 1960s.  Inspired by the collection of the African Study Centre, Odundo was no doubt also drawn to the interplay of art and craft at Kettle’s Yard during her time there.  Here at Jim Ede’s former residence works by Lucie Rie and Bernard Leach sit beside Modern British masters, such as Henri Gaudier-Brzeska and Barbara Hepworth, as well as continental heavyweights including Brancusi, and this dialogue and integration of art, architecture and domesticity was one which was to have a profound impact on Odundo’s later working style.

Continuing her studies at Farnham, Odundo visited both Leach and Michael Cardew at their studios in St Ives. From the latter she heard tales of his travels in Ghana and Nigeria, and his establishment of a pottery training centre there.  At Abuja, Cardew taught a large number of female students, such as Ladi Kwali, and this female dominance of the ceramic field was to further inspire Odundo upon her return to Britain. Returning to London, Odundo furthered her studies at the Royal College of Art from 1979-82, missing Hans Coper, who had retired due to ill health, by a matter of months.  Yet Odundo remained fascinated and inspired by Coper’s work, drawn to the “simplicity of his forms, his clarity of line, his rhythmical and restrained approach and the fact that he was not afraid of repetition” (The Artist, quoted in Emmanuel Cooper, ‘The Clay of Life: The Ceramic Vessels of Magdalene Odundo’ in Anthony Slayter-Ralph (ed.), Magdalene Odundo, Lund Humphries, Aldershot, 2004, p.24)

With a deep-rooted fascination in the history and cultures of many different nations, Odundo’s work draws on a multitude of themes that since her first solo show at Anne Berthoud Gallery, London in 1987, and her first New York showing at Anthony Ralph Gallery in 1991, have captivated audiences.  These ‘borrowings’ shine through in both their artistic influences, and the very techniques of construction in her anthropomorphic vessels.  As the potter Emmanuel Cooper notes, through the dialogues raised with her Kenyan roots, Odundo’s works “raise the concept of shifting cultural identities, of ancient process and techniques as well as the role of the ceramic vessel in the modern world’ (Ibid, p.9).