MAGDALENE ODUNDO UNTITLED, 1990

signed on underside of foot: "Odundo 1990".

Private English Collection, acquired directly from the artist
By descent to the present owner

Very good condition. Small surface loss on the shoulder, approximately ½ inch. Faintly visible writing just above the foot on one side: “BEAN / GU98LJ”. Varied iridescent grey lustrous surface.
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.

Much of Kenyan-born (1950, Nairobi) Magdalene Odundo's inspiration is drawn from the ceramic tradition of her roots on the Ugandan/Kenyan border.  In keeping with modern sculptors (such as Brancusi and Arp) she focuses on the search for perfection in form.  Odundo's ceramics are hand built, using a coiling technique.  She does not use the wheel, preferring instead to shape her vessels without its restraints of rotational symmetry.  Similarly, the surfaces on her vessels are not glazed but instead laboriously burnished, covered with slip, and burnished again.  When thoroughly dry the pots are fired in a gas kiln, first in an oxidizing atmosphere, which turns them a naturally bright red-orange.

Odundo's work is represented in over 40 public collections worldwide, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The British Museum, London; The Art Institute of Chicago; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The National Museum of African Art and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (both at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.); Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.