Rupert Deese
Encyclopedia
Rupert Deese (July 16, 1924-July 12, 2010 ) was an American ceramic artist. He is known for innovative design and decoration of high fired ceramics. Deese wrote "It is my hope in making these vessels that as the perception of their beauty diminishes over time, they will sustain themselves by pleasant usefulness."
officer. After graduation from high school in 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps
, serving stateside as a B-17 mechanic
. Deese graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1950 from Pomona College. After graduation, he starting working as a ceramist in Claremont, California
, sharing a studio with ceramist Harrison McIntosh. Their working relationship lasted for more than 60 years. Deese and Helen Smith (September 15, 1925-June 4, 2010) married in 1951 and reared four children.
In the mid-fifties, supported by a grant from local art patrons Robert and Catherine Garrison, Deese entered Claremont Graduate School, studying ceramics with Richard Petterson and sculpture with Albert Stewart
. He also benefited from the community of artists living in Claremont, most notably architect Millard Sheets
and Jean and Arthur Ames, who provided encouragement and support in the early years of his career, and from a close-knit circle of young artists including woodworker Sam Maloof
and painters Melvin Woods, Jim Hueter, Jim Fuller
, and Karl Benjamin
.
After receiving his Master of Fine Arts in ceramics in 1957, Deese continued making his own ceramics in his studio. However, like many artists, he found it necessary to supplement his income. After graduation he began teaching ceramics at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California
and remained on the faculty until 1971. In 1958 Deese and McIntosh moved their studio to a purpose-built space next to McIntosh's new home in Padua Hills in Claremont. Deese's pottery gained national recognition in 1960 when his covered bean jar won the IBM sweepstakes prize at the prestigious 21st Ceramic National Exhibition at the Everson Museum in Syracuse, New York
.
In 1964, Deese accepted a full-time position as a designer in the Franciscan Ceramics division of Interpace
(International Pipe and Ceramics Corporation) in Los Angeles. Millard Sheets, as a consultant to the Franciscan Ceramics division, assembled a design team of talented artists, including ceramists Richard Petterson, Dora De Larios, Helen Richter Watson, Henry Takemoto and Jerry Rothman. For the next twenty years until his retirement in 1984, Deese created shapes and patterns for Franciscan
dinnerware, glassware, and flatware, including the dinnerware shapes for Madeira, one of the company's best-selling dinnerware patterns. In the evenings and on weekends he continued to work on his own ceramics in his Padua Hills Claremont studio.
In the 1950s, Deese's hand thrown ceramics were available from several interior design firms, including Dean Marshall in La Jolla, California. In the 1970s Deese's ceramics were sold at Gallery 8 in Claremont and in the 1990s at Tobey C. Moss Gallery in Los Angeles. Deese created numerous custom pieces, many of them commissioned by Millard Sheets for clients of his Claremont design studio, including a drinking fountain for Oakmont Elementary School, personalized ashtrays for benefactors of Harvey Mudd College
, a bronze tree for the Home Savings of America in Beverly Hills, and a planter for the United States Capitol
Members' Dining Room.
Biography
Rupert Deese was born in Agana, Guam, where his father served as a Marine CorpsMarine corps
A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...
officer. After graduation from high school in 1942, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
, serving stateside as a B-17 mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
. Deese graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1950 from Pomona College. After graduation, he starting working as a ceramist in Claremont, California
Claremont, California
Claremont is a small affluent college town in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The population as of the 2010 census is 34,926. Claremont is known for its seven higher-education institutions, its...
, sharing a studio with ceramist Harrison McIntosh. Their working relationship lasted for more than 60 years. Deese and Helen Smith (September 15, 1925-June 4, 2010) married in 1951 and reared four children.
In the mid-fifties, supported by a grant from local art patrons Robert and Catherine Garrison, Deese entered Claremont Graduate School, studying ceramics with Richard Petterson and sculpture with Albert Stewart
Albert Stewart
Albert Stewart was an American sculptor born in Kensington, England.He arrived in America in 1908 and was orphaned shortly thereafter. Through the intervention of a wealthy benefactor, Edwin T...
. He also benefited from the community of artists living in Claremont, most notably architect Millard Sheets
Millard Sheets
Millard Owen Sheets was an American painter and a representative of the California School of Painting, later a teacher and educational director, and architect of more than 50 branch banks in Southern California.-Early life:...
and Jean and Arthur Ames, who provided encouragement and support in the early years of his career, and from a close-knit circle of young artists including woodworker Sam Maloof
Sam Maloof
Sam Maloof was a furniture designer and woodworker. He was born in Chino, California, USA, to parents who emigrated to the United States from Lebanon...
and painters Melvin Woods, Jim Hueter, Jim Fuller
Jim Fuller
Jim Fuller is the lead guitarist and co-song writer of the famous 1960s rock band, The Surfaris. He is known as the "Godfather" of surf music, a Californian folk rock music that is also the early roots of heavy metal and punk. Fuller's lead guitar work has influenced, and is copied by many rock...
, and Karl Benjamin
Karl Benjamin
Karl Benjamin is an American painter of vibrant geometric abstractions who rose to fame in 1959 as one of four Los Angeles-based Abstract Classicists and subsequently produced a critically acclaimed body of work that explores a vast array of color relationships...
.
After receiving his Master of Fine Arts in ceramics in 1957, Deese continued making his own ceramics in his studio. However, like many artists, he found it necessary to supplement his income. After graduation he began teaching ceramics at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California
Walnut, California
Walnut is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 29,172 at the 2010 census and its current mayor is Tom King, a former Detective from the Los Angeles Police Department....
and remained on the faculty until 1971. In 1958 Deese and McIntosh moved their studio to a purpose-built space next to McIntosh's new home in Padua Hills in Claremont. Deese's pottery gained national recognition in 1960 when his covered bean jar won the IBM sweepstakes prize at the prestigious 21st Ceramic National Exhibition at the Everson Museum in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
.
In 1964, Deese accepted a full-time position as a designer in the Franciscan Ceramics division of Interpace
Franciscan Ceramics
Franciscan Ceramics are ceramic tabletop and tile products produced by Gladding, McBean & Co. in Los Angeles, California from 1934–1962, International Pipe and Ceramics from 1962–1979, and Wedgwood from 1979-1983. Wedgwood closed the Los Angeles plant, and moved the production of dinnerware to...
(International Pipe and Ceramics Corporation) in Los Angeles. Millard Sheets, as a consultant to the Franciscan Ceramics division, assembled a design team of talented artists, including ceramists Richard Petterson, Dora De Larios, Helen Richter Watson, Henry Takemoto and Jerry Rothman. For the next twenty years until his retirement in 1984, Deese created shapes and patterns for Franciscan
Franciscan Ceramics
Franciscan Ceramics are ceramic tabletop and tile products produced by Gladding, McBean & Co. in Los Angeles, California from 1934–1962, International Pipe and Ceramics from 1962–1979, and Wedgwood from 1979-1983. Wedgwood closed the Los Angeles plant, and moved the production of dinnerware to...
dinnerware, glassware, and flatware, including the dinnerware shapes for Madeira, one of the company's best-selling dinnerware patterns. In the evenings and on weekends he continued to work on his own ceramics in his Padua Hills Claremont studio.
In the 1950s, Deese's hand thrown ceramics were available from several interior design firms, including Dean Marshall in La Jolla, California. In the 1970s Deese's ceramics were sold at Gallery 8 in Claremont and in the 1990s at Tobey C. Moss Gallery in Los Angeles. Deese created numerous custom pieces, many of them commissioned by Millard Sheets for clients of his Claremont design studio, including a drinking fountain for Oakmont Elementary School, personalized ashtrays for benefactors of Harvey Mudd College
Harvey Mudd College
Harvey Mudd College is a private residential liberal arts college of science, engineering, and mathematics, located in Claremont, California. It is one of the institutions of the contiguous Claremont Colleges, which share adjoining campus grounds....
, a bronze tree for the Home Savings of America in Beverly Hills, and a planter for the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
Members' Dining Room.
Exhibitions
- 1950-1956 Los Angeles County FairLos Angeles County FairThe inaugural Los Angeles County Fair, now known as the L.A. County Fair, opened Oct. 17, 1922, and ran for five days through October 21, 1922, in a former beet field in Pomona, California. Highlights of the Fair’s first year were harness racing, chariot races and an airplane wing-walking...
Exhibition, Pomona, CaliforniaPomona, California-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile... - 1950-57 Scripps CollegeScripps CollegeScripps College is a progressive liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California, United States. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges. Scripps ranks 3rd for the nation's best women's college, ahead of Barnard College, Mount Holyoke College, and Bryn Mawr College at 23rd on the list for...
Art Museum, Claremont, California, Annual Ceramic Show - 1951-52 Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York, Ceramic National Exhibition
- 1951-52 California State FairCalifornia State FairThe California State Fair is the annual state fair for the state of California. The fair is held at Cal Expo in Sacramento, California.- Schedule Change :...
, Sacramento, CaliforniaSacramento, CaliforniaSacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,... - 1954 Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York, Ceramic National Exhibition
- 1955-57 Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, CaliforniaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, California Designed Exhibition I, II, III - 1956 Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York, Ceramic National Exhibition
- 1957 California State Fair, Sacramento, California
- 1960 Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York, 21st Ceramic National Exhibition
- 1965 Pasadena Art Museum, Pasadena, California, California Design 9
- 1995 Hillcrest Arts Festival, La Habra, CaliforniaLa Habra, CaliforniaLa Habra is a city in the northwestern corner of Orange County, California. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,239. Its related city, La Habra Heights is located to the north of La Habra, and is in Los Angeles County.-Origin of name:...
- 1996 Tobey C. Moss Gallery, Los Angeles, Four Friends, The Work of Rupert Deese, Jim Hueter, Sam Maloof, and Harrison McIntosh
- 1996 Craft and Folk Art MuseumCraft and Folk Art MuseumThe Craft and Folk Art Museum , founded as the popular omelette café The Egg and The Eye, has been an energetic hub of global culture and progressive thought in Los Angeles, California since 1965.-Overview:...
Shop, Los Angeles - 1997 The Chinati FoundationChinati FoundationThe Chinati Foundation/La Fundación Chinati is a contemporary art museum located in Marfa, Texas and based upon the ideas of its founder, artist Donald Judd.- Mission :...
and The Judd Foundation, Marfa, TexasMarfa, TexasMarfa is a town in the high desert of far West Texas in the Southwestern United States. Located between the Davis Mountains and Big Bend National Park, it is also the county seat of Presidio County. The population was 1,981 at the 2010 census....
, Rupert Deese, Barnett Newman and Dan Flavin - 1998 Chaffey Community Art Association, Ontario, CaliforniaOntario, CaliforniaOntario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...
- 1999 Tobey C. Moss Gallery, Los Angeles, Stoneware
- 2000 Tobey C. Moss Gallery, Los Angeles, Rupert J. Deese (the Elder)Off the Wall, Rupert T. Deese (the Younger) On the Wall
- 2003 Tobey C. Moss Gallery, Los Angeles, Rupert Deese: Stoneware
- 2003 Cuttress Gallery, Pomona, California, Paul SoldnerPaul SoldnerPaul Soldner was an American ceramic artist.- Biography :...
, John Blough, Rupert Deese, and Harrison McIntosh - 2006 Tobey C. Moss Gallery, Los Angeles, California Modernism
- 2011 Compact Gallery, San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaSan Luis Obispo, CaliforniaSan Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
, Six Decades of Stoneware - 2011 The Huntington Library, California, The House That Sam Built: Sam Maloof and Art in the Pomona Valley, 1945–1985
- 2011 Los Angeles County Museum of ArtLos Angeles County Museum of ArtThe Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
, California, California Design, 1930–1965: Living in a Modern Way - 2011 American Museum of Ceramic Art, California, Common Ground: Ceramics in Southern California 1945–1975
Awards
- 1950-1951 Los Angeles County Fair Exhibition, Pomona, California. Honorable mention.
- 1951 Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York, Ceramic National Exhibition. Honorable mention
- 1952 California State Fair. Second prize for glaze.
- 1953 St. Paul Gallery, Fiber-Clay-Metal exhibition. Honorable mention and purchase award.
- 1960 Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York, 21st Ceramic National Exhibition. IBM sweepstakes prize.
Collections
- Museum of Fine Arts, BostonMuseum of Fine Arts, BostonThe Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
, BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... - Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York
- Henry Art GalleryHenry Art GalleryThe Henry Art Gallery is the art museum of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, USA. Located on the west edge of the university's campus along 15th Avenue N.E. in the University District, it was founded in 1927 and was the first public art museum in the state of Washington. The...
, University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, Seattle - Long Beach Museum of ArtLong Beach Museum of ArtThe Long Beach Museum of Art is a museum located on Ocean Boulevard in the Bluff Park neighborhood of Long Beach, California. The museum occupies the historic 1912 Elizabeth Milbank Anderson house and carriage house and a new two-story pavilion, and includes oceanfront gardens. The museum is open...
, Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257... - Los Angeles County Museum of ArtLos Angeles County Museum of ArtThe Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... - Maloof Foundation, Alta Loma, California
- Millard Sheets Collection, Gualala, CaliforniaGualala, CaliforniaGualala is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County in the U.S. state of California. It is located southwest of Hopland, at an elevation of 49 feet . It is located on the Pacific coast at the mouth of the Gualala River, on State Route 1. It serves as a commercial center for the...
- Mingei International MuseumMingei International MuseumThe Mingei International Museum is a non-profit public institution that collects, conserves and exhibits folk art, craft and design. The museum was first founded in 1974 and its building opened in 1978. The word mingei, meaning 'art of the people,' was coined by the Japanese scholar Dr...
, San Diego - Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of ArtNora Eccles Harrison Museum of ArtThe Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art is a large museum on the campus of Utah State University in Logan, Utah, and a constituent of the Caine College of the Arts at USU. The museum, which holds one of the largest collections in the entire Intermountain West with over 4,800 pieces, focuses largely...
, Logan, UtahLogan, Utah-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names... - Renwick GalleryRenwick GalleryThe Renwick Gallery is a branch of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, located in Washington, D.C., and focuses on American craft and decorative arts from the 19th century to the 21st century...
, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC - Richard & Alice Petterson Museum, Claremont, California
- Roger Corsaw Collection, Alfred UniversityAlfred UniversityAlfred University is a small, comprehensive university in the Village of Alfred in Western New York, USA, an hour and a half south of Rochester and two hours southeast of Buffalo. Alfred has an undergraduate population of around 2,000, and approximately 300 graduate students...
, Alfred, New YorkAlfred (village), New YorkAlfred is a village located in the Town of Alfred in Allegany County, New York, USA. The population was 3,954 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Alfred the Great.... - Scripps College, Claremont, California
- St. Paul Gallery, Minneapolis
- Walker Art CenterWalker Art CenterThe Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the nation's "big five" museums for modern art along with the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Hirshhorn...
, Minneapolis
Books
- Elliot-Bishop, James F. Franciscan Hand-decorated Embossed Dinnerware. Schiffer Publishing (2004) ISBN 0764319868
- Lauria, Jo and Gretchen Adkins, Garth Clark, Rebecca Niederlander, Susan Peterson, Peter Selz. Color and Fire: Defining Moments in Studio Ceramics, 1950-2000: Selections from the Smits Collection and Related Works at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Rizzoli International Publications (2000), pp. 97 ISBN 9780847822546
- Nelson, Glenn C. Ceramics, A Potter's Handbook, Second Edition. Holt, Rinehard and Winston, Inc. (1966), pp. 268–269 ISBN 0030558905
- Page, Bob and Dale Frederiksen, Dean Six. Franciscan: An American Dinnerware Tradition Page/Frederiksen Publications (1999) ISBN 1889977071
- Perry, Barbara. American Ceramics: The Collection of Everson Museum of Art. International Publications (1989), pp. 231 ISBN 0847810259