Current exhibition
Mid-Century Modern: The influence of European style on post-war Australian ceramics
This season we are taking visitors back to the 1950s and 1960s. One wall is entirely devoted to Ellis Ceramics, a pottery set up in Melbourne in 1953 by Dagmar and Miloslav Kratochvil, immigrants from Czechoslovakia. Also on display is the work of other makers who, like the Kratochvils, adopted a mid-century sensibility characterised by natural shapes, simplicity of design, bright colours and abstract decoration.
These include Anita Aarons, Elsa Ardern, Beryl Armstrong, the AMB, Guy Boyd and Martin Boyd Potteries, the Becks, Braemore Carstens, Claudia Australia, Carl Cooper, Maigonis Daga, Karl Duldig, Dyson Studio, Elke Australia, John Fisher, Florenz, Gunda, the Halperns and their SYLHA range, Hanstan, Isobel, the Janebas, Eric Juckert, John Barnard Knight and his Janet Gray range, Allan Lowe, the McLarens, Vagn Nykel, Klytie Pate, Picton Hopkins, Reg Preston and Phyl Dunn, Rathjen, Frank Rock, Tom Sanders and his Dorian Sands range, Alma Shanahan and Charles Wilton.
The emphasis is on functional and decorative earthenware produced by commercial and semi-commercial potteries for post-war Australian homes. The featured form is the ramekin and we are also devoting part of the display to fish.
