Leza Marie McVey
Born
Leza Marie Sullivan

(1907-05-01)May 1, 1907
Cleveland, Ohio
DiedSeptember 24, 1984(1984-09-24) (aged 77)
Cleveland, Ohio
Alma materCleveland Institute of Art
Known forCeramics, Fiber Art
SpouseWilliam Mozart McVey

Leza Marie McVey (1907–1984) was an American ceramist and weaver. She is known for her large hand-built organic forms.

Biography

McVey née Sullivan was born on May 1, 1907 in Cleveland, Ohio.[1] She studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art (1927–1932) and at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center (1943–1944).[2] In 1932, she married the sculptor William Mozart McVey, and from 1935 to 1947,[3] she worked as a ceramist in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.[2] William accepted a teaching position at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan in 1947, and there she met the Finnish artist Maija Grotell and became friends with the Japanese-American artist Toshiko Takaezu who studied at the Cranbrook Academy from 1951 to 1954.[3] In 1953, McVey returned to her native city of Cleveland and established her studio in the suburb of Pepper Pike, Ohio.[2]

McVey's large-scaled, biomorphic, asymmetrical work is said to reflect her dissatisfaction with wheel-thrown pieces and to have led the way for modern ceramic art in the United States.[2][3] Influenced by surrealism, her sculptural stoneware and porcelain works embody the natural, organic form.[3] In 1965, the Cleveland Institute of Art presented a major retrospective of her work that included seventy-five large scale sculptures or what she called "ceramic forms."[4] By 1979 McVey's production slowed due to her failing eyesight.

McVey died on September 24, 1984 in Cleveland, Ohio.[1]

Collections containing work

McVey's work may be found in many collections including the Everson Museum of Art,[5] the Metropolitan Museum of Art,[6] the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,[7] and the Syracuse University Art Museum.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 Falino, Jeannine (2011). Crafting modernism: midcentury American art and design: [exhibition Crafting modernism. Midcentury American art and design, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, October 11, 2011 - January 15, 2012; Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, February 27 - May 21, 2012]. New York: Abrams. p. 297. ISBN 978-0810984806.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Heller, Jules; Heller, Nancy G., eds. (1995). North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century. New York and London: Garland Publishing. pp. 375. ISBN 0824060490.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Ceramics Today - Leza Marie McVey". www.ceramicstoday.com. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  4. ↑ Janet., Koplos (2010). Makers : a history of American studio craft. Metcalf, Bruce, 1949-, Center for Craft, Creativity & Design. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9780807834138. OCLC 658203695.
  5. ↑ "Object of the Week: Ceramic Forms No. 33 and No. 34 by Leza McVey". Everson Museum of Art. 10 June 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Leza McVey | Ceramic Form No. 25". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Ceramic Form No. 21". MFAB. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Works – Leza McVey". Syracuse University Shaffer Art Building. Retrieved 14 December 2023.

Further reading

Eidelberg, Martin P., The Ceramic Forms of Leza McVey. Hudson, New York: Philmark Publishers, 2002.

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