Robert Sperry - Pair of Untitled Crackle Glaze Stoneware Chargers, Signed 1981

A pair of original stoneware chargers (1981) by American ceramic artist Robert Sperry. Each is signed and dated by the artist on the underside.  The square-form chargers feature heavily textured cream-colored crackle glazes over dark grounds, creating irregular networks of fissures, fragmented surfaces, and abstract patterns unique to the firing process. The dramatic contrast between glaze and exposed dark surface reflects Sperry’s experimental approach to ceramic chemistry and his embrace of chance, material transformation, and abstraction.  Provenance: From a private estate in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Dimensions: 16”h x 16”w x 2.5”d. In very good condition. Full condition report available upon request. Robert Sperry (1927–1998) was an influential American ceramic artist, educator, painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who played an important role in the development of postwar studio ceramics in the Pacific Northwest. A longtime professor at the University of Washington, Sperry helped establish its ceramics program as an important center for experimentation and also co-founded Northwest Designer Craftsmen. His practice evolved from functional pottery and extensive glaze experimentation toward increasingly abstract and sculptural ceramics, including monumental architectural works. Sperry’s work is represented in major institutional collections including the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, and Seoul Museum of Art. 

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