In relief: German Op-Art Ceramics, 1955-75 / University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson

In relief: German Op-Art Ceramics, 1955-75 / University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson
September 28, 2012 – January 27, 2013

Opening Reception: October 4, 5-7 pm.

A first-ever exhibition of a mid-century movement of German ceramics, known as relief-porzellan, debuts at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. Entitled: In Relief: German Op-Art Ceramics, 1955-75" the exhibition opens on September 28 and runs through January 27, 2013. Both the exhibition and reception are open to the public.

Lawrence Gipe, UA Associate Professor of Studio Art, has been collecting mid-century German ceramics known as relief-porzellan for a number of years. Little was known about these beautiful objects until Gipe undertook to discover the history of their production. This exhibition presents his fascinating research, bringing to light the stories behind the factories and individual artists who created the objects.

“Several years ago, I became aware of this unique genre of German ceramics,” says Gipe. “These mass-produced objects were made in "biscuit” porcelain – a matte-white or black finish that leaves the shape unglazed and naked, unadorned in its starkness.“

Between the years of 1955-1980, more than a dozen companies were producing the Relief-Porzellan ceramics, mostly vases. Artisans, working in small Bavarian towns, created hundreds of designs, both geometric and organic. Some of the ceramic objects were stamped on the bottoms with the name of the designer and the trademark of the company that produced them. Gipe’s visit to an archive in Selb, Germany, the venerable Rosenthal and Co., offered a trove of journals and files, revealing artists and providing attributions to previously anonymous pieces.

Research for the UAMA exhibition, In Relief: German Op-Art Ceramics, was made possible by a grant from the International Affairs Department at the University of Arizona. The University of Arizona Museum of Art includes more than 6,000 artworks in its permanent collection created by artists from the 14th through the 21st centuries. UAMA is one of only twelve museums in Arizona accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM) and one of only 750 museums of the 16,000 museums nationwide with this highest award for excellence in the museum field.

Visit the website of the exhibition: www.relief-porzellan.com

Museum Hours: Tuesday - Friday: 9 am - 5 pm. Saturday - Sunday: Noon - 4 pm. Closed on Mondays and University Holidays.

CONTACT
Professor Lawrence Gipe, Curator
lgipe@email.arizona.edu
Tel. (520) 621-7567

University of Arizona Museum of Art
1031 N Olive Road
Tucson, AZ 85721-0002
Untied States
artmuseum.arizona.edu

Above: Tapio Wirkkala, "Pollo” vase, 1956/1970, for Rosenthal.