Important Peter Voulkos 'Untitled Plate', 1981 – Wheel-Thrown Stoneware with Surface Drawing

Important Peter Voulkos 'Untitled Plate', 1981 – Wheel-Thrown Stoneware with Surface Drawing

Dimensions: 5¼ D × 21 W× 20 H in

Signed: Voulkos 81, to reverse

Catalog: Registered under Voulkos and Co. no. CR864.0-W

Provenance: Alice Westphal

Exhibited: Peter Voulkos: Recent Works, Exhibit A, Dec 5, 1981 – Jan 15, 1982

A powerful work from Voulkos’ late period, this monumental plate embodies his signature approach to ceramics: bold, physical, and expressive. The surface features gestural markings and deep textural movement, achieved through slicing, tearing, and layering thick slab of clay.

Voulkos’s technique and aesthetic draw on Brutalist principles—raw materials, visible construction, and an embrace of imperfection. Wood-firing, introduced to him by Peter Callas, gives this piece its earthy ash glaze and variegated surface, a product of high heat, ash deposits, and controlled unpredictability.

A prime example of Voulkos’ mature style—chunky, raw, and unapologetically direct.