Untitled

Toshiko Takaezu, Untitled, ca. 1980s, glazed porcelain, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2006.26.6
Toshiko Takaezu, Untitled, ca. 1980s, glazed porcelain, 19 1⁄8 x 8 3⁄8 in. diam. irregular (48.5 x 21.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2006.26.6

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Artist
Date
ca. 1980s
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
19 1⁄8 x 8 3⁄8 in. diam. irregular (48.5 x 21.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
glazed porcelain
Classifications
Object Number
2006.26.6
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2006.26.6

Artwork Description

One of Toshiko Takaezu's “closed forms,” the unseen interior cavity of this ceramic sculpture suggests the protected space of an egg. To create these forms, Takaezu threw a pot at her wheel, then coiled and hand built the clay into a nearly closed spheroid. She often placed pieces of paper and clay inside before firing that became rattling ceramic beads in the kiln.


Many species of birds, like ducks, communicate with each other before they hatch. They peep and click from inside their eggs to synchronize their emergence, preparing the family to leave the nest together. Like chattering eggs in a nest, Takaezu’s closed forms conjure new imaginings about the tenderness of home.


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022

Works by this artist (28 items)

View all artworks
Berenice Abbott, Central Park Plaza, from Fifth Avenue at 58th Street, 1937, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.18
Central Park Plaza, from Fifth Avenue at 58th Street
Artist
Date1937
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Berenice Abbott, Manhattan Bridge, 1936, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of George McNeil, 1983.16.6
Manhattan Bridge
Artist
Date1936
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Berenice Abbott, MacDougal Alley, between 8th Street and Washington Sq. North, 1936, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.7
MacDougal Alley, between 8th Street and Washington Sq. North
Artist
Date1936
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Berenice Abbott, Greyhound Bus Terminal--Manhattan, 1936, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the Evander Childs High School, Bronx, New York through the General Services Administration, 1975.83.15
Greyhound Bus Terminal – Manhattan
Artist
Date1936
gelatin silver print
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Image Not Available
Bently
Artist
Dateca. 1975
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled, ca. 1945-1950, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lewis and Jean Greenblatt, 2002.86.9
Untitled
Artist
Dateca. 1945-1950
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled, ca. 1945-1950, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lewis and Jean Greenblatt, 2002.86.7
Untitled
Artist
Dateca. 1945-1950
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Jared French, Margaret French, PaJaMa, Paul Cadmus, PaJaMa (Box A), ca. 1937, gelatin silver prints, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Margaret French, 1999.98.5.16
PaJaMa (Box A)
Artist
Dateca. 1937
gelatin silver prints
Not on view