Suzuki Osamu

(1926-2001)

SUZUKI OSAMU has received tremendous recognition throughout Japan including a highly praised, enormous retrospective in 1999 that toured five major Japanese museums. As a co-founder of the avant-garde Sōdeisha group, he was dedicated to the creation of works independent from ancient types. The group was formed of like-minded artists who refused to exhibit at established studio craft competitions. At the time, this was nearly a heretical philosophy. Suzuki and his colleagues consistently strove to stand apart from traditional works, both stylistically and technically. By the mid-1950s, he focused on non-functional work. Suzuki’s influence then and now remains huge, and he has been regarded for decades as one of the pioneers of avant-garde ceramic art. He worked both in porcelain and in stoneware. Combining Shigaraki clay, typically with a tooled surface, with iron slip and ash glaze in an oxidizing kiln, he created remarkable surfaces that changed as the light fell across them from different angles. His works have entered the collections of museums throughout the world.