Architectural Pottery
Architectural Pottery
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About the Book
Architectural Pottery’s strikingly minimalist designs heralded new domestic housewares that could uniquely accent the modern home—inside and out. Formally expressive yet accessible, their refreshingly unembellished, elegant pots and planters were enthusiastically received by the public upon Architectural Pottery’s launch in 1950, soon ubiquitous in spaces representing the epitome of modern living. Highly coveted and prized in design circles, they were seen in houses by Richard Neutra, John Lautner, and the historic Case Study Houses, and featured in the first of MoMA’s legendary Good Design exhibitions alongside now-iconic designs by Ray and Charles Eames, Alexander Girard, and George Nelson. Over three decades, Architectural Pottery also developed innovations in stoneware production, expanded into fiberglass furniture, and included famed furniture designer Paul McCobb and sculptor David Cressey on its roster of designers.
A midcentury modern design enthusiast’s dream, Architectural Pottery: Ceramics for a Modern Landscape is the first full history of this celebrated and influential brand. Richly illustrated with contemporary photography and extensive visual archival material—including the records of the founders Rita and Max Lawrence, and the personal archives of designers, art directors, and photographers associated with the company—it both tells a compelling story and is a valuable resource for collectors and interior designers.
The publication of this book coincided with a major exhibition at the American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona, California.
About the Author
Daniel Chavkin is a photographer, collector, and researcher of all things modernist, and the author of Unseen Midcentury Desert Modern.
Jeffrey Head is a writer specialising in architecture and design and is author of several books.
Jo Lauria is a Los Angeles–based curator, writer, and educator, as well as coauthor of Master of the Midcentury: The Architecture of William F. Cody, also published by Monacelli.
Meet the Maker
Phaidon
The company was founded in Vienna in 1923 by Dr Béla Horovitz and Ludwig Goldscheider. Horovitz named the company Phaidon in reference to Phaedo, a Greek philosopher and pupil of Socrates, to acknowledge his love of classical culture. Horovitz created quality books at an affordable price while Goldscheider contributed elegant layouts and handsome production.
The 1970s saw a great expansion in the number of staff employed by Phaidon and the number of titles it published. Like many other publishers at the time, Phaidon diversified into a range of subject areas and began to buy-in titles from publishers abroad. In October 2012, Phaidon came under new ownership and its new senior management team began the task of growing the company for the long term as the world's leading publisher of books in the visual arts, food, and children's markets.
Publishing successes in subsequent years expanded the growing art program to include books made in collaboration with the global superstar Rihanna, NIKE, photographer Annie Leibovitz, fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, the streetwear brand Supreme, and Cecily Brown, one of many cutting-edge artists in the company's iconic Contemporary Artists Series. More recently, Phaidon has successfully added interior design to its core publishing categories.
Phaidon's beautiful illustrated books are treasured worldwide for their outstanding content and award-winning production, and feature the finest creative work from leading innovators in all areas of the arts, architecture, design, photography, interior design, travel, and food.
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