Ingrid & J.K. Lee Study Center

Yoshikawa Masamichi is known for his seihakuji, or “blue-white” glazed ceramics, where he combines bold, thick forms with sophisticated glazing techniques. This large globular vase exemplifies his early exploration of dense clay work, contrasting traditional celadon’s delicate thinness with a more substantial, sculptural approach. The piece reflects his fascination with the interplay of form and glaze, highlighting his ability to blend technical mastery with a unique, bold aesthetic that distinguishes his ceramics.

Kawase Shinobu, a third-generation potter, hails from a family renowned for its technical mastery. His grandfather’s blue-and-white porcelain technique was classified as an Intangible Cultural Property in 1955. Shinobu originally trained as a painter but chose to pursue pottery under his father’s guidance at their Kyoto kiln. Known for his delicate celadon glazes, this bowl exemplifies Shinobu’s skill, with its luminous glaze and playful, foliated rim, showcasing his refined approach to form and texture.

Matsumoto Isami is a Kyo-ware potter who studied porcelain, celadon, and enamel techniques from his father. Kyo-ware—an elegant, often intricately decorated style of ceramics originating in Kyoto—reflects refined craftsmanship and artistic detail. Matsumoto’s work blends traditional Japanese methods with modern aesthetics. This piece features his signature low-relief decoration with stylized clouds enhancing the surface. His mastery of form and texture reflects a distinctive approach rooted in heritage, reimagined through a contemporary lens.

Miyashita Zenji is celebrated for his non-traditional vase shapes and ceramic sculptures, distinguished by intricate layering of clay slip. In this piece, the tall rectangular vase is subtly bent into an organic curve, echoing the natural form of layered mountains that embellish its surface. The layered slip creates texture and depth, enhancing the sense of movement and transformation in the piece, reflecting Miyashita’s innovative approach to ceramics and his deep connection to the natural world.

Tsuboi Asuka broke into the male-dominated world of Japanese ceramics early in her career. After a 1966 trip to China, where she witnessed the harsh use of self-criticism during the Cultural Revolution, she began creating conceptually driven ceramics that questioned women’s roles in Japanese society. In this work, she transforms the delicate, pliable form of a traditional kimono bag into a solid, substantial piece, reflecting her investigation into femininity and material culture.

Matsuda Yuriko’s whimsical approach blends imaginative additions, like the eggplant handle, with classic forms such as a teapot, blurring the line between tradition and innovation. Drawing on porcelain techniques from Ming China and Japanese Imari and Kutani kilns, she transforms functional objects into quirky, animated sculptures. Studying at Kyoto City University of Arts under Living National Treasures Tomimoto Kenkichi and Kondo Yozo, Matsuda’s colorful work also reflects Japan’s textile heritage and her garden, with the eggplant handle molded directly from her harvest.

Yoshiro Ikeda’s sculptural vessels, characterized by organic forms and textured surfaces, draw inspiration from Zen aesthetics and the expressive qualities of California ceramics. Ikeda immigrated to the United States in 1960 and earned an MFA in ceramics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He also studied at Kyoto City University of Arts under renowned ceramist Yagi Kazuo. Ikeda served as a professor of ceramics at Kansas State University from 1978 to 2012, becoming a Distinguished Professor in 2004.

Takiguchi Kazuo creates this metamorphic vase by draping flattened sheets of clay over molds, then shaping them from within while refining the exterior. He defines the vessel by cutting, joining, or removing sections of clay, creating an interplay of form and void. A vertical slice links the vessel’s interior with the surrounding space, inviting both light and reflection. The somber matte glaze enhances the subtle contrast between interior and exterior, presence and absence, concealment and revelation.

In 1982, Osako Mikio built a kiln in Tokoname, a historic ceramics center in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Inspired by Ezaki Issei, who revived ancient wood-firing techniques after World War II, Osako uses local clays and ash glazes. He fires his pots twice—first in a wood-fired kiln, then in an electric kiln with ash and rice husks—creating distinctive, dripping glazes. His flasks, often used for serving sake or storing liquids, balance bold forms with refined surfaces.

Kuwata Takurō’s radical ceramics are rooted in tradition yet embrace experimentation and chance. His oddly elegant tea bowls—central to his practice—reinterpret classical forms using extreme techniques like ishihaze (stone explosion) and needle-scored glazes. Metallic glazes, including gold and silver, form cracked, blistered surfaces that suggest both opulence and rupture. Joyful yet unsettling, Kuwata’s work reflects the contradictions of contemporary life while honoring centuries-old Japanese ceramic traditions.

While known for ceramic sculpture, Morino Hiroaki also creates refined functional works. This square vessel features a bold red abstract design, balancing expressive surface with subtle form and color—hallmarks of his distinctive artistic language. Morino gained international recognition with a solo exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1963 during a teaching residency at the University of Chicago. A graduate of Kyoto City Art University, he studied under Living National Treasure Tomimoto Kenkichi.

Roe Kyung Jo is renowned for his innovative approach to clay. He trained under art historian Kim Youngki at Kyung Hee University in Seoul, where he mastered various Korean ceramic techniques, including yeollimun or "marbling." This ancient method, originating in China during the Tang dynasty and later used by Korean potters in the Goryeo dynasty, involves mixing porcelain and stoneware to create multicolored, veined patterns resembling marble. The technique vanished by the 13th century due to its complexity.

Vik Muniz, a Brazilian artist known for creating intricate illusions from everyday materials, uses his art to explore deceptive visual information. On this plate, Muniz recreates the 16th Century Italian artist Caravaggio’s iconic painting of Medusa using pasta sauce, emphasizing the tension between representation and material. By transforming a mundane object into a masterpiece, Muniz, who likens himself to an alchemist, creates visual magic that challenges perceptions and highlights the transformative power of art.

Motivated by scientific curiosity, Bernard Palissy created ceramic plates and basins that record the natural world in vivid detail. Using molds taken from real plants and animals, this Rustic Basin transforms the surface into a textured landscape of frogs, fish, and foliage. Its dense, high-relief forms turn clay into a site of observation and storytelling, revealing how surface decoration can function as both scientific document and imaginative, narrative terrain.

In 1956, Pablo Picasso created this ceramic plate, Jacqueline at the Easel, at the Madoura Pottery workshop in Vallauris, France. This piece features his second wife and muse, Jacqueline Roque, depicted at an easel—a reversal of traditional roles that emphasizes her significance in his life and work. The design showcases Picasso's signature Cubist style, with abstracted forms and fragmented perspectives, highlighting his innovative approach to ceramics and his deep connection with Jacqueline as both partner and artistic inspiration.

Ynez Johnston was a California-born ceramic artist known for blending modernism with ancient influences. Her travels shaped her artistic vision, leading to works that incorporate symbolic motifs and cultural narratives. The Ancient Mariner reflects her fascination with storytelling, inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” The plate depicts the mariner’s fateful journey with striking imagery, merging Johnston’s mastery of ceramics with a vivid narrative, enhancing its symbolic and timeless quality.

By casting discarded packaging and food containers in luminous white porcelain, Linda Lighton transforms trash into fine art, prompting reflection on class, consumption, and invisibility. The work’s title plays on a charged social slur while also evoking the economic conditions that shape what people eat. Confronted with these pristine remnants of waste, viewers are reminded that what society discards does not disappear—it lingers, revealing uncomfortable truths about inequality and the world we inhabit.

Enid Seeney was a British designer renowned for her innovative work in ceramics and household products. She began her career as the first female designer at Spode, which makes tableware, in the 1950s. In 1957, she designed the iconic "Homemaker" pattern for Ridgway Potteries, featuring stylized black illustrations of modern furniture and household items. Manufactured in Staffordshire, England, this pattern became a popular mid-century design, reflecting the era's embrace of modernism in everyday life.

Gilbert Portanier, a French ceramist known for his vibrant, painterly works, often blended traditional symbols with contemporary artistic expression. One notable example is this plate depicting a religious figure holding a crossed orb, a symbol of spiritual authority. This piece reflects Portanier’s ability to merge history with modernity, using bold colors and abstract forms. His work earned international acclaim, including the Gold Medal at the 1966 International Ceramics Exhibition, before his passing in 2023.