International Ceramics

Works from this collection are on view on the Museum's second floor.

The Museum's contemporary clay holdings follow the development of notable Californian, American, and international makers, including Hamada Shoji, Toshiko Takaezu, Peter Voulkos, Stephen De Staebler, Beatrice Wood, Annabeth Rosen, Curtis Benzle, David Shaner, Ken Ferguson, and Lucie Rie and Hans Coper. 

Through the gift of Sidney Swidler, more than 800 vessels celebrate craftsmanship, expand upon clay's traditions, and arbitrate its boundaries as a medium. This collection complements the major gift of contemporary and Japanese ceramics by Hubert A. Arnold. In combination with a superb collection of early 18th-century Meissen porcelain tableware and Asian holdings, the Museum's ceramics collection provides a nearly comprehensive history of clay from the Neolithic period to the present.