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 CURVY, BALLSY: R.I.P. EVA ZEISEL, 1906-2011
The great Eva Zeisel passed away on December 30th; she was 105 years old. The Modfather sends his sincere condolences to her daughter Jean Richards, and Zeisel enthusiasts everywhere.

We have long admired Zeisel's body of work, not to mention the astonishing longevity of her career.  When the mid-century modern revival picked up steam in the 1980s, Zeisel quickly became a collector favorite, and a critic's darling once again; meanwhile, Zeisel kept on working, creating new designs, as well as reissuing old ones, for KleinReid, Nambe and Crate & Barrel, among others, her contemporaries all long deceased.  Zeisel fanaticism reached new heights at the beginning of the 21st century, with important museum exhibitions, new books and even a documentary or two; the devotion of her ardent supporters has approached slavish levels.

Why?  Beyond a deeply sincere appreciation for the work itself, Zeisel had a great story, and some pretty serious street cred.  A real-life "Zelig" of 20th century design history, she showed up at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes (read birthplace of art deco) in Paris in 1925; later, she cooled her heels in Weimar Berlin in the early 1930s.  Alas, life wasn't always a cabaret for Eva, who was later incarcerated for alleged conspiracy in Stalin's Russia in 1936 (mug shot directly above).  Released in 1937, she traveled to Vienna; then, just as the Nazis arrived, she high-tailed it to Britain and got married before migrating to the US (cue the singing nuns), where her grit, point-blank exposure to seismically-important artistic movements, and well-honed expertise in all aspects of ceramic design, production and sales would produce remarkable second and third acts.

Zeisel's mid-century tableware designs were considered revolutionary, an immodest departure from traditional forms.  Described as biomorphic, sensuous, fluid and curvy, her work had a "swoopy" quality that is romantic, sculptural and eye-catching.  Add to this the notion of a female authority in the then male-dominated field of industrial arts, and one can see how Zeisel became a figurehead in the "transitional modern" design era (mid 1940s-early 1950s); like Russel Wright, she helped bring modern to the masses.  She couldn't come up with anything that was embraced on the scale of Wright's juggernaut American Modern dinnerware line, but then Wright had a bit of a head-start on his home turf.   Zeisel's twin dinnerware lines for Hall China, Century & Tomorrow's Classic (upon which several questionable, dorky-ass patterns were applied) sold well for years, but it is her Town & Country line, manufactured by Red Wing between 1947 and 1956, that is most coveted by collectors today.  Conceptually similar to (and almost certainly influenced by) Wright's American Modern, Eva's T&C shapes were extraordinarily playful, and era-transcendent, while the glaze colors were very much of the period, which no doubt boosted sales.  Bold and dramatic, yet casual, unfussy and honest, it's probably her design most closely related to the Hungarian peasant pottery that so inspired Zeisel to take to the clay in the first place.  (The Modfather prefers Zeisel's whimsical yet thoughtfully-articulated "Pals" line bird shapes produced by Monmouth Stoneware in the mid-50s; these original wares are especially hard-to-find today.  Not surprisingly, "Pals" was one of the first vintage Zeisel dinnerware offerings to be reproduced, and has been reissued at least 3 times so far...truly a classic for the ages, and we simply can't keep pieces in stock for very long.)

In direct competition for at least 2 decades during the golden age of American industrial design, there isn't much evidence that Wright and Zeisel developed a chummy camaraderie, in spite of the fact that Eva's son John attended the same elementary school as Wright's adopted daughter Annie (according to daughter Jean, Eva and Russel would see each other at parent-teacher meetings).  The most startling line in Zeisel's NYT obituary is this statement, allegedly made by Zeisel to a writer at some unknown point: "Men have no concept of how to design things for the home...women should design the things they use."   Given her background, we speculate that Eva didn't really believe this, and that the proclamation was merely intended to capitalize on feminist sentiment with an eye towards increased sales (if so, good for her).  Still, that couldn't have endeared her much to Wright, assuming he was still alive at the time.

In addition to countless other prestigious honors, Zeisel was, somewhat ironically, the recipient of a 2002 "Russel Wright Award," which the Wrighterati created to honor "contemporary leaders who carry forward [Wright's] legacy..." (and to promote Manitoga, of course).  Would Wright have approved?  We'll never know for sure, but we're betting he'd rather Zeisel get a "Russel Wright Award," than the other way around.

All that said, Zeisel's place in the design pantheon is assured, and the world is a much sorrier place without her.  Every time the Modfather takes a swig of Cabernet from one of his much-beloved Zeisel-designed Nambe wine goblets, he'll think fondly of Eva, and her outrageous defiance of the odds.

DESIGNERS OF TO-DAY

 O L D E R    P O S T S   

TIKI TIME
Why are we so damn queer for 60s-era "Polynesian Pop" artifacts and locales? It's definitely not the syrupy rum drinks, blech (forget the Mai-Tai, just give the Modfather a cold beer thank you). We can't riff on the nation's mid-century fixation with all things South Pacific any better than Sven Kirsten, who masterfully encapsulated the campy movement in his landmark 2001 Book of Tiki.  From there, we'd recommend a visit to Critiki and Tiki Central, where you can get the low down on Tiki palaces still standing, and those long gone. There weren't too many here in Dallas, unfortunately.  We did have a Trader Vic's (which made a short-lived comeback in recent years), and Stephen Crane's Ports O' Call, nestled on top of a skyscraper downtown. Then over in Ft. Worth you had Ren Clark's Polynesian Village, notable for their infamous (and highly desirable) "severed head" tiki mug. Most of the actual vintage tiki mugs you find these days are relatively worthless Japanese imports. But the tiki-themed wares made in America are hot, and we are always on the lookout for them, especially as we continue to beef up our restaurant ware offerings in general. Here's a cool matchbook cover pic from the old Trade Winds in nearby Tulsa. The neat thing about this place was their use of Frankoma pottery, including what is perhaps the most valuable vintage Tiki mug of them all.

DISSED LIST NOT TO BE MISSED
The Modfather is alternatively saddened and satisfied that the notoriously censored AOL Russel Wright e-mail discussion group is finally dead. Founded by Manitoga booster Dennis Mykytyn back in the mid-90s, the core members of this rag-tag bunch routinely came up with extraordinary findings, including many corrections to erroneous info found in the collector books.  Unfortunately, there were some pathetically sensitive souls unable to withstand any perceived slight or negativity, which led to draconian post rejections (mostly bon mots from the Modfather). As you might expect, the lively discussion soon dried up and died.

JACKED BAUER
Just about a year ago, Bauer of California launched a reissue of some American Modern shapes; collectors were enthusiastic, but leery after the Oneida fiasco a few years ago. Like Oneida, Bauer felt compelled to include a bastard coffee mug, which is no doubt the harbinger of reissue line failure. The most obvious problem? Original vintage AM pieces are actually cheaper than their new Bauer counterparts, ouch. But the new pieces are much more durable, right?  According to Bauer's own FAQ, this new pottery achieves its bright color by being low-fired, "which means that it has a greater tendency to chip," double ouch. Last month, Bauer announced the production of the pitcher and tumblers in "traditional Bauer colors" (including traffic cone orange, apparently) 

LINENS & THINGS
RW devotee Gary Maurer and his lovely wife Laura have finally published their long-promised text on Wright's tablecloth work. The Modfather has yet to receive his promotional copy, but you can get yours here

GOD REST YE MERRY GENTLEMAN
Here's a nifty belated Xmas card created by you know who. Given the message, it must date back to 1955, the year of the I.C.A. overseas assignment: COVER / INSIDE / BACK

THE WAY WE WERE (FOR REAL)
It pains him, but the Modfather highly recommends this article by one-time Modfather nemesis (and queeny old airbag) Sandy McLendon, writer/editor for the online mag jetsetmodern.com. In it, McLendon provides a somewhat sober reminder of what MCM meant to most people during the 1950s and 60s. No wonder we can never find what we're looking for at estate sales

PROUD MARY
One thing's for sure: If Russel's life ever gets the Hollywood treatment, the Oscar-bait role will go to the lucky actress playing Mary Wright, savvy co-conspirator, aristocratic but edgy muse, presumably long-suffering wife, and young cancer victim.  When I started collecting RW, I didn't understand the fervor of the NYC cognoscenti for Mary.  Then in 2002, the most intriguing component of the RW retrospective at the Cooper-Hewitt was a bizarro yet mesmerizing home movie clip of Mary, who was, as I wrote in 2002, "vogueing and sashaying around their NY apartment."  The exhibit's accompanying book (see my Why RW? page for details) featured a chapter entitled "Marketing Easier Living," by Robert Schonfeld; for anyone who endeavors to understand Wright's life and work, it is a must read.  The tale Schonfeld spins delineates the impact of Mary's talent, intelligence, support, charm and self-sacrifice on Wright's career, and it is nothing short of astonishing.  I am holding a Bauer Country Gardens creamer I found today as I write this; it is simple, elegant and quite "natural," as she intended.  So Hail Mary; without her, we might not have anything to talk about on this website today

TV SHOW & TELL TRAGEDY
Normally I wouldn't post forwarded video clips, but this one really got to me. I often daydream that someday I'll be the star attraction on Antiques Roadshow, but lord, please don't let it all go down like this (click to download)