Laura Andreson

Reform Gallery, Los Angeles (for two of the vases in the collection)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions, Los Angeles, October 14, 2007, lots 344, 355 and 356 (for three of the vases in the collection)
Sollo-Rago Modern Auctions, Lambertville, NJ, April 12, 2008, lot 162 (for one of the vases in the collection)

Jo Lauria, Color and Fire:  Defining Moments in Studio Ceramics, 1950-2000, New York, 2000, p. 91
Pat Kirkham, ed., Women Designers in the USA, 1900-2000, New Haven, 2000, p. 353 (for a related work)

Overall very good condition. The group of vases offered in this lot were assembled by the present owner. The work of Andreson is rare on the auction market and the collection offered here displays a wonderful varied group of rich glaze tones. Each of the works in this lot were examined under blacklight and show no evidence of prior restoration. The vases each show a variety of colors in the glaze work and displays an intricate texturing with the glazes. Each work upon close inspection has been made with great detail and attention to subtlety and decorative glaze application.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

During a long and productive career as a ceramic artist, Laura Andreson (1902-1999) gained fame far outside her native California, where she founded the ceramics program at U.C.L.A. in 1933 and taught until retiring in 1970.  A diligent lifelong student of glazes, Andreson herself was taught to throw a pot by fellow Californian Gertrude Natzler in the mid-1940's. She could hardly have had a better teacher. Andreson's subsequent body of work, characterized by crisply delineated classical forms with subtly modulating matte glazes, place her in the first tier of American studio potters.

The first Andreson pieces to enter this collection came when I was helping my clients furnish a restored 1936 Richard Neutra house in Pacific Palisades, and I convinced them to utilize as many regional works as possible. The group lot offered here provides an excellent introduction to Andreson's oeuvre, showcasing a range of shapes, sizes, and colors.

-Larry Weinberg