Stan Bitters Lantern in Glazed Ceramic, USA, 2017
About the Item
- Creator:Stan Bitters (Workshop/Studio)
- Dimensions:Height: 7.88 in (20 cm)Diameter: 6.3 in (16 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2017
- Production Type:New Custom(One of a Kind)
- Estimated Production Time:Available Now
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Berlin, DE
- Reference Number:Seller: cc.stanbitters1stDibs: LU1591211668851
Stan Bitters
An icon of modernist ceramics since the 1960s, Stan Bitters constructed rough assemblages of clay slabs and spoked wheels into massive murals and tall totems, upsizing his medium to an architectural scale.
Like Toshiko Takaezu, Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner and others, Bitters was part of a small group of American artists during the mid-20th-century who embraced imperfection in their pottery.
Working in ceramics, a material that during the last 100 years was relegated to the supposedly lesser artistic realm of craft, Bitters and these other artists made bold, chunky pieces that served as a counterpoint to the smooth lines and overall slickness of modern and postmodern movements like Bauhaus, constructivism, minimalism, Op art and Pop art.
Hailing from Fresno, California, the self-proclaimed “old hippie” Bitters earned his bachelor’s degree in painting from UCLA. He also studied at what became Otis College in Los Angeles under Voulkos — the bad boy of American ceramics.
Voulkos almost single-handedly spawned what came to be known as the California Clay Movement and flouted pottery’s approved techniques. He transformed clay into a vibrant, highly expressive artistic medium, and Bitters’ funky, fractured style certainly shows it.
Bitters later became associated with organic modernism and created ceramics for Hans Sumpf, a maker of adobe bricks and furniture in Madera.
“Known for his Abstract Expressionist style, Bitters is a steadfast champion of environmental ceramics — the melding of natural, organic clay forms, sculptures and architectural elements into urban spaces to complement, transform and elevate their surroundings,” says Greg Nielson, of Dwell Floor Five, in Studio City, California.
With their sputtery glazes and graffiti-esque glyphs, Bitters’s works exude raw, countercultural energy.
Find Stan Bitters decorative objects, garden ornaments, planters and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Berlin, Germany
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View All2010s American Mid-Century Modern Lanterns
Metal
Vintage 1970s Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Ceramic
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Ceramic
Vintage 1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Ceramic
Vintage 1960s German Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Chrome
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
You May Also Like
20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Ceramic, Jute
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
20th Century Danish Brutalist Chandeliers and Pendants
Ceramic
2010s American Organic Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass
Read More
How the Chunky, Funky Ceramics of 5 Mid-Century American Artists Balanced Out Slick Modernism
Get to know the innovators behind the pottery countercultural revolution.
Original in Berlin’s Lars Triesch Has Turned a Passion for Design into a Booming Business
His two gallery spaces in the German capital bring together thousands of pieces ranging from mid-century classics and Murano glass to covetable reproductions manufactured in-house.