THE FAMILY / Eva Zeisel

 

EVA ZEISEL (1906-2011) was born in Budapest. She was apprenticed to a ceramist and soon became one of the first female journeyman potters, holding positions at the Kispester factory, and for Christian Carstens Kommerz. In 1938, she immigrated to the United States where she designed giftware for the Bay Ridge Specialty Company. When she started teaching at Pratt in 1939, a position she held until 1953, she arranged an apprenticeship for students through Bay Ridge, offering an opportunity to gain professional experience. She received great acclaim for the system. In 1942, the Castleton company asked Zeisel to create a series that would define a new era of modern china, and her 1946 series was unveiled at a solo show called "Modern China by Eva Zeisel." She followed this high profile line with the colorful, and playful, 1946 "Town and Country" dinnerware for Red Wing Pottery. The popular series, recently reissued, featured bulbous, cartoon-like handles and bases.