Howard Kottler

Howard Kottler
1957
Born
Howard William Kottler

(1930-03-05)March 5, 1930
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
DiedJanuary 21, 1989(1989-01-21) (aged 58)
Seattle, Washington, United States
Education
Known forCeramics
Notable work
  • American Supperware
  • America Gothicware
  • Blue Balls
MovementFunk art, pop art

Howard William Kottler (March 5, 1930 – January 21, 1989[1]) was an American ceramist, conceptual artist, and professor of ceramics at the University of Washington, credited as a seminal force in redefining the direction of contemporary American ceramic art.[1][2]

Influenced by the Bay Area funk art movement,[2][3][4] he is best known for his multiple series of decal plates that rejected traditional studio ceramic practices that emphasized and valued hand-made objects, and focusing instead on mass-produced store-bought plates and commercial decals to create pieces decorated with appropriated images from popular culture to convey Kottler's political, social, and personal messages.[5][6][7] Based on these works, he developed a reputation for using coded images, wordplay, and biting humor which established Kottler's reputation as a satirist and decalomaniac.[8][9]

  1. ^ a b Failing, Patricia (1995). Howard Kottler: Face to Face. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-97356-0. OCLC 29751387. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference mad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference smithsonian was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Updike, Robin (24 March 1997). "San Francisco Show Honors Ceramic 'Bad Boy' Arneson". The Seattle Times. Seattle, WA. ISSN 0745-9696. OCLC 9198928. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  5. ^ Halper, Vicki (2004). Look Alikes: The Decal Plates of Howard Kottler. Seattle, WA: Tacoma Art Museum. ISBN 0-295-98425-2. OCLC 56664162. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  6. ^ Shaykett, Jessica (27 December 2012). "Howard Kottler's Plates and Politics". Throwback Thursday. Minneapolis, MN: American Craft Council. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Howard Kottler: A Retrospective Look". Tacoma Art Museum. Retrieved 25 July 2013.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Schwartz, Judith S (1995). "Howard Kottler: An Irresistibly Irreverent Iconoclast" (PDF). Ceramics: Art and Perception (22). Sydney, NSW: 23–28. ISSN 1035-1841. OCLC 60618152. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  9. ^ Adlin, Jane (1998). Contemporary Ceramics: Selections from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 7–8. ISBN 9780870998850. OCLC 237501464. Retrieved 25 July 2013.