Early Gerhard Liebenthron Studio Pottery Moon Vase - 1969

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An early stoneware moonpot with a characteristic brown wash decor from the studio of Gerhard Liebenthron. Signed and dated 1969 … Read more An early stoneware moonpot with a characteristic brown wash decor from the studio of Gerhard Liebenthron.  Signed and dated 1969 on its base, this piece represents one of Liebenthron's earliest experiments in stoneware, utilizing what would become one of his most recognizable wash techniques of decoration.  Most prevalent in brown and tan Earth-tones, Liebenthron's later washes can be found using blues, greens, and reds in various combinations to produce some truly extraordinary surfaces.

GERHARD LIEBENTHRON (1925-2005) grew up in Berlin and was largely inspired creatively by the zeitgeist of the 1930s. The period was characterized by the clash of various political ideologies, including Marxist Socialism, Capitalist Democracy, and the Totalitarianism of both Communism and Fascism. Surrealism dominated in Europe and had an international influence. Artists such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in Mexico worked to integrate Surrealist ideas into their revolutionary political ideologies, developing a new form of magic realism.  In this environment, the young Liebenthron aspired to become a theatrical painter. Still, that impulse was interrupted by the outbreak of WWII, during which he spent much of his time as a prisoner of war.  Upon his return from captivity, he had to secure his livelihood temporarily by painting ceramic vases. It was this random encounter with ceramics that marked the beginning of his further artistic evolution. From 1945 to 1951, he studied at the Staatliche Kunstschule (State School of Art) in Bremen, in the pottery class taught by Else Krieg and Dorothee Colberg-Tjadens.  He spent his final year as the Assistant to the sculptor Prof. Ernst Goersemann.

After Liebenthron finished his time at the Kunstschule, he opened his workshop in the historic Boettcherstraße in Bremen in 1952.  The ceramic works he produced there consisted of arbitrarily shaped vessels and wall plates with expressive, abstracted figurative or inconspicuous ornamental and color-intensive decorations.  These works were regularly featured in the prestigious arts and crafts journal "Die Schaulade" and its successor, "Gestalt," from 1954 onward. Beginning in 1955, he also participated in numerous national and international exhibitions.

After producing hand-built 'free form' vases decorated with painted motifs reminiscent of the work of Capron and Portanier in Vallauris during the 50s, Liebenthron switched to stoneware. He produced a wide range of vessels, from domestic-size bowls, jugs, and vases to larger pieces whose primary functions were decorative.  Many of his monumental pieces aspire to the status of sculpture beyond any functionality, except perhaps that of a ritual vessel, or to become a work of art in its own right.  With the experience he had gained during the 50s, making 'modern' works in a Picasso-esque freeform style, he began to seek inspiration from German rural stoneware and from other traditions, including the work of the Japanese, which was being discovered through exhibitions and publications.  From this quest, his work began to display an austere monumentality that united Eastern and Western traditions without turning into a pastiche. From 1969, he replaced his bright color glazes with thin washes of earthy pigments, a style that fell somewhere between abstract calligraphy and drip painting.  The impressive range of forms he developed showed a great capacity to work in different styles while retaining his distinctive character.  Liebenthron created works of simple elegance with rough and natural glazes and organic, idiosyncratic forms that often include expressive incised decorations rhythmically carved, then coated with layers of glazes onto which thin, narrow streaks of brown were sprinkled and allowed to flow and dissolve before applying a final clear glaze to bind everything together.  His work earned him wide notoriety in national and international exhibitions, and many of his pieces are highly sought after today. Liebenthron’s work can be found in several museums in Germany, such as the Keramik Museum in Berlin, the Fockemuseum in Bremen, and the Hetjens Museum of German ceramics in Düsseldorf, for example. Gerhard Liebenthron died in Bremen in 2005. See less