The Dictionary of American Ceramics, 1945 onward
Dictionary of American Ceramics, 1945 onward
Printer-friendly version 
Printer version
Reuben Nakian
1897Born College Point, New York
1986Died Stamford, Connecticut
EDUCATION
1915Independent School of Art, New York, New York
1917-1920Art Students League, New York, New York
PRIMARY WORK EXPERIENCE
Studio Artist, New York, New York
BIOGRAPHY
Reuben Nakian's most well-known ceramic work consists of series of two and three dimensional sculptures that explore erotic themes drawn from Greek and Roman mythology. This series is composed of clay slabs with the images incised into the wet surface with quickly drawn lines illustrating the narrative. Some of his ceramic work was thrown by other potters for him to draw on.
Nakian was primarily a bronze sculptor.
Nakian’s early friendships with expressionist artists, Arshile Gorky and Willem de Kooning influenced his work.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe. Arizona
University of Arizona, Edward J. Gallagher Memorial Collection, Tucson, Arizona
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Australian National Gallery, Canberra, Australia
Boca Raton Museum of Art, Boca Raton, Florida
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
The Canadian Museum, University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Alberta, Canada
Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Garden, Lincoln, Massachusetts
Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan
Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York
Solomon P. Guggenheim Museum, New York, New York
Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden, UCLA, Los Angeles, California
Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Centro de Arte Moderna, Lisbon, Portugal
Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts
High Museum, Atlanta, Georgia
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, Hawaii
Housatonic Museum of Art, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Museum of Fine Arts of Houston, Houston, Texas
University of Houston, University Park, Houston, Texas
Irving Art Center, Irving, Texas
University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Alberta, Canada
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Andersen, Wayne. American Sculpture in Process: 1930-1970. Boston, MA: New York Graphic Society (Little Brown & Co.), 1975.
Ashton, Dore. Modern American Sculpture. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1968.
Clark, Garth. American Ceramics 1876 to the Present. New York, NY: Abbeville Press Publishers, 1987.
Goldwater, Robert. What is Modern Sculpture?. New York, NY: The Museum of Modern Art, 1969.
Levin, Elaine. The History of American Ceramics from Pipkins and Bean Pots to Contemporary Forms. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1988.
Mocsanyi, Paul. The Artist’s Reality: An international Sculpture Exhibition. New York, NY: New School Art Center, 1964.
Seitz, William. Introduction. “Contemporary Sculpture.” The Art Digest (ARTS Yearbook no.8 1965).
Speyer, A. James. Sculpture: A Generation of Innovation. Chicago, IL: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1967.
Tarbell, R. K., J. Marter and J. Wechsler. Vanguard American Sculpture, 1913-1939. Rutgers, New Jersey: Rutgers University Art Gallery, 1979.
Tuchman, Maurice, ed. American Sculpture of the Sixties. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1976.
WEBSITE(S):
Materials: Earthenware
Method: Slab-Built, Hand-Built
Surface Technique: Carved, Incised, Unglazed
Citation: "The Marks Project." Last modified July 23, 2023. http://www.themarksproject.org/marks/nakian
