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Harvey K. Littleton, Harvey Littleton

Biography to Display: 

1922 Born Corning, New York

2013 Died Spruce Pine, North Carolina

EDUCATION

1945 Studied at Brighton School of Art, England

1947 Bachelor of Design, University of Michigan, GI Bill

1951 MFA Ceramics, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE

Army Signal Corps

1952-1977 University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin

BIOGRAPHY

       Harvey Littleton is best best known as a glass artist. His ceramic work consisted of thrown stoneware functional pieces. He chose to throw off the hump allowing him to produce up to 150 pieces in a day.   

He grew up in the glass world of Corning, New York but chose to work with clay because he wanted the small studio environment the media allowed. Littleton studied with Nora Braden, a student of Bernard Leach, at the Brighton School. He studied Industrial Design at the University of Wisconsin, graduated and set up a design shop. After serving in the Army he went on to study with Maija Grotell at Cranbrook. 

In 1962 he left the field of ceramics to work in glass. He is credited with establishing the American studio glass movement when he set up a studio to work with glass in the same small studio format that ceramic studios functioned, in doing so he removed glass from the factory.

 

 

Typical Marks

Typically did not sign, after 1957 all works unsigned. W indicates made in Wisconsin.

before 1957
Vase
Date: 1950
Materials: Stoneware
Method: Thrown (Red-iron glaze.)
Surface Technique: Glaze
The Forrest L. Merrill Collection, Dane Cloutier Archives
The Forrest L. Merrill Collection, Dane Cloutier Archives
Teapot
Date: 1961
Materials: Stoneware
The Forrest L. Merrill Collection, Dane Cloutier Archives
The Forrest L. Merrill Collection, Dane Cloutier Archives

Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified May 1, 2023. http://www.themarksproject.org:443/marks/littleton