Bennett Bean - Untitled (Turquoise Design), c. 1980s Painted Ceramic Vessel

An original ceramic vessel by American artist Bennett Bean, accompanied by a Holsten Galleries exhibition catalog featuring a closely related work by the artist. The hand-built vessel features an asymmetrical rounded form with a narrow irregular opening and extensively painted and layered surface decoration.  The richly worked surface combines washes of ochre, cream, turquoise, black, and brown with linear passages and geometric accents in orange, yellow, pink, and violet. Its fusion of ceramic form with painterly abstraction exemplifies Bean’s distinctive approach to the vessel as a three-dimensional canvas.  Literature: Accompanied by Bennett Bean, Holsten Galleries exhibition catalog, featuring a closely related ceramic vessel by the artist.  Provenance: From a private estate in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Dimensions: 9.5”h x 13.5” in diameter at its widest point with a 6.5” diameter opening. In very good condition. Full condition report available upon request. Bennett Bean (1941–2021) was an American ceramic artist known for transforming the vessel form through elaborate painting, surface treatment, and mixed-media experimentation. Educated at the University of Iowa and Claremont Graduate School, Bean developed a highly individual practice that blurred distinctions between pottery, painting, and sculpture. His work is represented in major museum collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Museum of Arts and Design in New York. 

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