Vase
Artist
Jim Leedy
(American, 1930 - 2021)
Date1953
MediumStoneware with glaze
DimensionsOverall: 13 × 6 × 21 3/4 inches (33.02 × 15.24 × 55.25 cm)
Credit LineGift of Harrison Jedel in honor of the 75th anniversary of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Object number2008.76.6
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThe vase is composed of multiple pieces of very irregularly-shaped pieces of clay that have been assembled together to form a vessel which rests on a base of three legs, narrows at the top of the base, and then flairs outward in a triangular shape to the top of the vessel. The surface of the vessel is roughly textured and torn, and glazed with very bright tones of blue, yellow, orange, red and white.Gallery LabelJim Leedy is one of Kansas City’s most well-known art figures; he taught at the Kansas City Art institute for 44 years and founded art spaces and studios for local artists. Throughout his career, Leedy has worked with painting, ceramics, prints and assemblages, as well as public art, installation and performance art. During the 1950s, his Abstract Expressionist paintings led to groundbreaking experiments in ceramics whereby he worked the surface of the clay as he would have a painting. In this example of his early ceramic work, Leedy cut, tore and painted the surfaces, creating a richly textured, multi-dimensional and dynamic piece.
Copyright© Estate of Jim Leedy
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