Untitled Stack

Until the mid-1950s, most American potters used clay to make functional vessels based on an aesthetic of perfection. Their refined work seemed factory produced with little evidence of the artist's touch. Peter Voulkos radically transformed this approach.

By shaping large forms on a potter's wheel and stacking them into a monumental whole, Voulkos dramatically increased the scale of his work. At the same time, he moved the ceramic vessel from its traditional designation as craft into a new realm: that of fine art sculpture.

Taking inspiration from the painterly and gestural brushstrokes of Abstract Expressionism, Voulkos reveals the hand of the artist, gouging, ripping, and marking the clay. Untitled Stack demonstrates risk and intuition, revealing the process of its creation with majesty and power.