Toshiko Takaezu was an American ceramic artist and painter. She was born to Japanese immigrant parents in Pepeekeo, Hawaii, in 1922. She studied at the Honolulu Museum of Art and the University of Hawaii under Claude Horan from 1948–51.
From 1951–54, Takaezu continued her studies at Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where she befriended Finnish ceramist Maija Grotell, who became her mentor. In 1955, Takaezu traveled to Japan, where she studied Buddhism, visited Shoji Hamada and observed the techniques of traditional Japanese pottery, which continued to influence her work. She taught for 10 years at the Cleveland Institute of Art, and then from 1967–92, she taught at Princeton University, where she was awarded an honorary doctorate.
Takaezu retired in 1992 to become a studio artist, living and working in Quakertown, New Jersey, about 30 miles northwest of Princeton. In addition to her studio in New Jersey, Takaezu made many of her larger sculptures at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. She made functional wheel-thrown vessels early in her career. Later, she switched to abstract sculptures with freely applied poured and painted glazes.
In the early 1970s, when Takaezu didn’t have access to a kiln, she painted on canvas. Her work is part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, among many others.
Takaezu was the recipient of the Gold Medal of the American Craft Council and a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation grant. She lived in Hawaii for 10 years and died March 9, 2011, in Honolulu.
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(Biography provided by The Nevica Project LLC)
Glazed Ceramic Bowl Chawan Toshiko Takaezu
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Atlanta, GA
A ceramic bowl by Japanese American artist Toshiko Takaezu (American, 1922 - 2011). The deep form bowl is of the typical form of Chawan and features a wheel-turned body supported by ...
Ceramic
Fine Ceramic Tea Bowl with Brilliant Glaze by Toshiko Takaezu
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Atlanta, GA
A ceramic tea bowl (chawan) by Japanese American artist Toshiko Takaezu (American, 1922 - 2011) circa 1980s. The hand-built form shows a near perfect round form supported by a short ...
Ceramic
Brilliant Clog-Form Ceramic Tea Bowl by Toshiko Takaezu
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Atlanta, GA
One of the most beautiful ceramic tea bowls (chawan) by Japanese American artist Toshiko Takaezu (American, 1922 - 2011) we have handled. The hand-built bowl, with its waist tucked i...
Ceramic
Large Ceramic Bowl with Salt Glaze by Toshiko Takaezu
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Atlanta, GA
A large ceramic bowl by Japanese American artist Toshiko Takaezu (American, 1922 - 2011). The deep form bowl features a robust body of thick wall, s...
Ceramic
Ceramic Tea Bowl with Mottled Yellow Glaze by Toshiko Takaezu
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Atlanta, GA
A glazed ceramic tea bowl (chawan) by Japanese American artist Toshiko Takaezu (American, 1922 - 2011). The hand-built bowl is covered with a striking matte glaze in mustard yellow w...
Ceramic
Large Ceramic Center Bowl Toshiko Takaezu
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Atlanta, GA
A large ceramic center bowl by Japanese American artist Toshiko Takaezu (American, 1922 - 2011). Meant to be a bespoken center piece., the deep form bowl features a robust body of thick wall, supported by a short round foot ring. The surface showcases an expressive glaze pattern that is the signature style to the artist's work. Free-flowing abstract strokes...
Ceramic
Tashiko Tazaezu Signed Japanese Hawaiian Studio Pottery Glazed Chawan Tea Bowl
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful and quite engaging sumptuously glazed Chawan tea bowl by famed Japanese Hawaiian American pottery master Toshiko Takaezu. The fired bowl features a vast array of shifting...
Earthenware, Pottery
Tashiko Tazaezu Signed Japanese Hawaiian Studio Pottery Glazed Chawan Tea Bowl
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful and quite engaging Chawan tea bowl by famed Japanese Hawaiian American pottery master Toshiko Takaezu. The fired bowl features a vast array of shifting, vibrant, and colo...
Earthenware, Pottery
Tashiko Tazaezu Signed Japanese Hawaiian Studio Pottery Glazed Chawan Tea Bowl
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful and quite engaging sumptuously glazed Chawan tea bowl by famed Japanese Hawaiian American pottery master Toshiko Takaezu. The fired porcelain bowl features a vast array of dark-shifting, vibrant glazes (with muted earth tones of blacks, burnt yellows, and brown greens). It is a unique and one-of-a-kind work. The bowl is signed on the base with her traditional "TT" mark/ monogram. A rare and special piece. Would be a great addition to any collectors of Toshiko's work or other Mid-Century Modern...
Porcelain, Pottery
Tashiko Tazaezu Signed Japanese Hawaiian Studio Pottery Glazed Chawan Tea Bowl
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful and quite engaging gorgeously glazed Chawan tea bowl by famed Japanese Hawaiian American pottery master Toshiko Takaezu. The fired bowl features a Tenmoku glaze with an a...
Porcelain, Pottery
Tashiko Tazaezu Signed Japanese Hawaiian Studio Pottery Glazed Chawan Tea Bowl
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful and quite engaging sumptuously glazed relatively large Chawan tea bowl by famed Japanese Hawaiian American pottery master Toshiko Takaezu. The fired bowl features a drip ...
Pottery, Stoneware
Tashiko Tazaezu Signed Japanese Hawaiian Studio Pottery Glazed Chawan Tea Bowl
By Toshiko Takaezu
Located in Studio City, CA
A spectacular, rare and quite engaging early Chawan tea bowl by famed Japanese Hawaiian American pottery master Toshiko Takaezu. The fired bowl features a vibrant, shifting, thick, c...
Earthenware, Pottery
