Large Sculptural Ceramic Vessel by Richard Devore Exhibited and Published

A large stoneware vessel by Richard DeVore (American, 1933-2006) made in 1972. The cylindrical vessel takes an unusual sculptural form with curvy edges that flows freely in contoured lines with extended out petal ear and opening window through the wall. The surface was covered in a milky white glaze with scattered fine crackles and kiln burst marks. Smooth but with slight irregularity such as small rises in clay reflects the nature of hand-building process. Random purple blue and orange colors were splash-applied on its interior wall, dripping down in streak and outlining the opening. The vessel was signed and dated to underside: "R.E. DeVore '72" with applied lettering tickers: "565". It also retains a fine art handler paper label as shown. The piece blurs the line between a functional vase and a ceramic sculpture and is an early piece that is quite distinct from the more known and later vessel work by the artist.
Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist: International Ceramic, Victoria and Albert Musuem, London 1972 by Robert L. Pfannebecker Collection
Exhibited and Illustrated:
"Robert L. Pfannebecker Collection. A Selection of Contemporary American Crafts". Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania October 17 - November 20, 1980.
Illustrated on the above catalog page 57 as shown in detail photo.
Reference:
Lee Nordness, Objects: USA, The Viking Press, New York, 1970, p. 108 (for a discussion of the artist)
Artist Biography
Richard DeVore was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1933. He earned a B.Ed. degree from the University of Toledo with a major in art in 1955. He received an M.F.A. from the Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1957 where he studied ceramics with Maija Grotell. In 1966 DeVore became head of the ceramics department at Cranbrook. From 1978 to 2004 he was a professor of art at Colorado State University. He was named a Fellow of the American Craft Council in 1987. DeVore's works is widely held in important private and public collections including the Yale University Art Gallery, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Detroit institute of Art and many others.