19 OCTOBER 2016 / Peter Voulkos Exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design

On Tuesday, October 18th, the exhibition Voulkos: The Breakthrough Years opened at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City. The exhibit, supported in part by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, will display the works of visionary Greek-American artist, Peter Voulkos, through the early years of his career (1953 – 1968).

Although best known for his work in ceramics, Voulkos worked in other media, such as bronze, and paint. According to MAD, this period of work was chosen due to the “radical methods and ideas” that emerged, which “opened up the possibilities for clay in ways that are still being felt today.” His work ranged from small pottery, to large, intricately engineered sculptures, and was widely praised for combining craft and art in an unprecedented way.

Thirty-one pieces of Voulkos’ work will be presented, a majority of which have not been displayed on the East Coast in four decades. The collection will also feature other rarely seen pieces, such as works in oil on canvas. The exhibit is part of MAD Transformations, which features artists “who have transformed and continue to transform our perceptions of traditional craft mediums”.

Voulkos: The Breakthrough Years will be on display at MAD from October 18, 2016 to March 15, 2017. It will then move to the Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C. from April 7 to August 20, 2017.

For more information, please visit MAD’s website.