Contemporary American Ceramics 1950-1990

"How could this leather jacket be made of ceramic?!" Many of the objects shown here might not be recognized as ceramics at first glance. They are examples of the free ceramic art developed in postwar America that eschewed the convention that ceramic objects must be practical vessels. New sculptural ceramic forms known as Abstract Expressionist ceramics were developed by Peter Voulkos and others immediately after the war and a Pop style also emerged in the 1970s. This exhibition, based on the collection of Setagaya collector, Katsunari Toyota, gives a comprehensive view of the work of contemporary American ceramic artists who produced artistic expressions in response to a changing society between the 1950s and the 1990s. An accompanying exhibition presents the work of Kitaoji Rosanjin, an influence on Voulkos, from the museum\'s permanent collection, giving visitors an opportunity to compare and appreciate the differences between Japanese and American ceramics."