Canister

Artist Victor Babu (American, 1936 - 2019)

Date1982

MediumGlazed porcelain

DimensionsOverall: 7 7/8 × 15 1/4 inches (19.99 × 38.74 cm)
A (lid): 4 1/4 × 15 inches (10.8 × 38.1 cm)
B (bottom): 3 5/8 × 15 1/4 inches (9.22 × 38.74 cm)

Credit LineGift of Lucy Shola

Object number2013.28.A,B

SignedVICTOR BABU 1982 In black glaze Underside, along foot

On View

Not on view

Collections

Architecture, Design and Decorative Arts

Terms

DescriptionThe object is a two part round glazed porcelain vessel with a bowl and domed lid with a handle. Two high-relief lizards encircle the lid’s handle and four dark brown painted lizards with red and blue dots encircle the body of the lid. The body of the canister is glazed in dark brown with undertones of red and green. The interior of the body and lid are glazed in a dark brown green.Gallery Label

Gallery Label

Victor Babu

American, b. 1936

Canister, 1982
Glazed porcelain
Gift of Lucy Shola, 2013.28.A,B

Friendship

Victor Babu is a key figure in the story of ceramics in Kansas City, having taught at the Kansas City Art Institute from 1967 to 2001 and maintaining a prolific studio. Although a colleague and friend of Ken Ferguson, Peter Voulkos and Rudy Autio, Babu’s refined porcelain vessels contrast with the roughness and immediacy of his peers’ works. His detailed studies of nature display his intense interest in Asian art. The form of this canister recalls Chinese boxes, Asian lacquer work and ceramics. Two newts surround the handle and four more decorate the lid.

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