’California high kitsch’: Peter Shire’s ceramics travel to New York’s Derek Eller Gallery
Peter Shire’s earliest encounters with mid-century modern design in Los Angeles were as a young boy, driving down Sunset Boulevard. Looking out of his family's car window as they drove to the beach, it was one storefront in particular that inspired the young Shire: John Lautner’s iconic Googie coffee shop on the corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights. Though Lautner’s design was demolished in 1989, it left an indelible impression on Shire, an aesthetic he dubbed 'California high kitsch'.
The aesthetic influence of Lautner’s Googie architecture – as well as aspects of cubism, futurism and Bauhaus – is visible in Shire’s sculptures and objects, with their sense of play and absurdity. In Shire’s category-defying ceramic works in particular – now the subject of a beautiful survey show at Derek Eller Gallery – these interests intertwine in both structure and sentiment, the possibilities of clay giving Shire the opportunity to push his radical approach to design to its limits. The glorious table-top exhibition contains examples of Shire’s work from the 1970s to 2016, demonstrating both his mastery of mechanics and ability to making you belly laugh with his antithetical objects and sculptures, that include his take on can openers, magnets and shapes inspired by scorpions.
It’s ironic that it was a coffee shop that first piqued Shire’s interest, since he is perhaps best known for his teapots. It was these that caught the attention of Ettore Sottsass, who invited Shire to join Memphis in Milan in the 1980s. Even after this period, Shire continued to think about teapots, and some remarkable examples are on display at Derek Eller, including Guitar (1979) and Mr Peanut Yellow (1996).
INFORMATION
’A Survey of Ceramics: 1970s to the Present’ is on view until 9 October. For more information, visit the Derek Eller Gallery website
ADDRESS
Derek Ellery Gallery
300 Broome Street
New York, NY 10002
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Catherine Shaw is a writer, editor and consultant specialising in architecture and design. She has written and contributed to over ten books, including award-winning monographs on art collector and designer Alan Chan, and on architect William Lim's Asian design philosophy. She has also authored books on architect André Fu, on Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu, and on Beijing-based OPEN Architecture's most significant cultural projects across China.
-
Discothèque perfumes evoke the scent of Tokyo in the year 2000
As Discothèque gets ready to launch its first perfume collection, Mary Cleary catches up with the brand’s founders
By Mary Cleary Published
-
This unassuming London house is a radical rethinking of the suburban home
Station Lodge by architect Andrei Saltykov in South West London offers a radical subversion to regional residential architecture
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Explore 100 years of Svenskt Tenn and the interiors Estrid Ericson has crafted
‘A Philosophy of Home’ explores 100 years of Svenskt Tenn and the daring vision for interiors its founder Estrid Ericson developed
By Diana Budds Published
-
Nendo’s collaborations with Kyoto artisans go on view in New York
‘Nendo sees Kyoto’ is on view at Friedman Benda (until 15 October 2022), showcasing the design studio's collaboration with six artisans specialised in ancient Japanese crafts
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Mudlarking beside the River Thames inspires The New Craftsmen’s makers
London Design Festival 2022: The New Craftsmen’s new collection, ‘Claylarks’, features work from a group of creatives inspired by a River Thames mudlarking expedition
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Italian craftsmanship comes to Los Angeles in this eclectic Venice Canals apartment
Boffi Los Angeles celebrates a juxtaposition of texture throughout a waterside bolthole
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Design Miami/Basel 2022 explores the Golden Age
Design Miami/Basel 2022, led by curatorial director Maria Cristina Didero, offers a positive spin after the unprecedented times of the pandemic, and looks at the history and spirit of design
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated
-
Kvadrat’s flagship New York showrooms encompass colourful design codes
Industrial designer Jonathan Olivares and architect Vincent Van Duysen have worked with Danish textile brand Kvadrat on the vast new space, also featuring furniture by Moroso
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
What to see at New York Design Week 2022
Discover Wallpaper’s highlights from New York Design Week 2022 (10 – 20 May 2022): the fairs, exhibitions and design openings to discover
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Colour defines LA ceramics studio and showroom of Bari Ziperstein
Step inside the multifunctional ceramics studio, office and showroom of designer and artist Bari Ziperstein, designed by local firm Foss Hildreth
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Design for Ukraine: Bocci and Design Miami join forces to raise funds
The online sale of iconic Bocci pieces will benefit GlobalGiving’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, providing urgently needed humanitarian aid
By Rosa Bertoli Last updated