259 - George Ohr bowls


 August 9, 2021

Today is without a doubt my most astounding day at the Met so far.  I knew that gallery 707 is on a mezzanine  floor directly above the American Wing cafe, and the map showed one large gallery between the elevator and my destination.   But what I didn't know is that that gallery, designated as "Visible Storage," contains display case after display case containing tables chairs, chests, silver, pewter, china - an unimaginably rich collection.  I kept saying, "Oh my God, oh my God" to myself as I passed one case after another. It is all unlabeled, unfortunately, but I think the Met's website contains information about at least some of the items. Also, I'll have seen most, if not all, of the galleries in the American Wing by the time I return to this space, so I should have at least some familiarity with some of the objects on view.

I had never dreamt that the Met is such an immense repository of Americana.  I am in awe.

Gallery 707 houses the ceramics collection of  a single donor, Robert A. Ellison, and contains works dating from 1876 to 1956. Ellison's taste, I think, must have been similar to my own: I like a great many of the pieces, and even when I don't particularly like a work, I can see it as an important addition to the collection and admire aspects of it   The pieces vary in size, shape, glazing,  decoration, and other ways. I note with interest that a substantial number were made by women; it seems that women had more opportunities as ceramists than in other areas. 

The most amazing works I see are these three earthenware bowls, about 5 inches high, made between about 1898 and 1910 by George E. Ohr, a potter in Biloxi, Mississippi, of all places. Ohr achieved striking sculptural effects by twisting and turning the clay back on itself. The pieces look incredibly  modern - like ones you could see in MoMA's permanent collection (or in its gift shop). They were remarkably innovative for their time but have, for me, a kind of abstract, timeless quality. Along with the Visual Storage gallery, they are outstanding discoveries in a museum where there is so much to see and learn about and love.

later

I now know why the Ohr bowls remind me of MoMA gift store items. Alvar Aalto made glass vases that are quite similar in the 1930s; you can buy repros for $250 or so. If Aalto's work was remarkable then, how much more amazing Ohr's was, 30 or 50 years earlier. 


Comments

  1. Jennie TonicSeptember 12, 2021 at 10:10 AM

    George Ohr was something else: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_E._Ohr

    ReplyDelete

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