1990s Jamie Davis (B. 1945) Untitled, Architecture of Clay Sculpture - Set of 2

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Together: 11 1/2”W x 14 1/2”H x 9”D Separate: 6 1/2”W x 14 1/2”H x 9”D

This striking two-part modular … Read more Together: 11 1/2”W x 14 1/2”H x 9”D Separate: 6 1/2”W x 14 1/2”H x 9”D

This striking two-part modular mixed media ceramic sculpture offers a compelling study in Postmodern architectural geometry, texture, and hidden luminosity. Signed and dated by the artist on the underside (Jamie Davis 1990, inventory cm#1544.A), the work reflects Davis’s rigorous academic background—with degrees from Vanderbilt, Exeter College, and Clemson University—as well as a distinguished career that has placed his work in major collections like the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Brooklyn Museum. The sculpture functions as a structural diptych, pairing two mirroring monolithic halves that can be displayed flush or separated to reveal an unexpected interior landscape. Davis juxtaposes a smooth, bone-white matte upper register with a heavily striated, industrial ribbed lower section, accented on one side by a metallic, silver-sheened glaze. The piece is punctuated by geometric apertures that expose a startling shift in energy within the hollow core: the interior chambers are washed in a vibrant, airbrushed gradient of electric orange, sunburst yellow, and neon green. Fine black wires arc across these windows like architectural tension cables, while a meticulous woven lattice grid filters light into the cavity, effortlessly blending industrial abstraction with a radiant, hidden ecosystem. This exceptional piece remains in great structural shape with no chips, showing only minor, expected shelf wear at the bottom. The work was deaccessioned and sold to benefit the permanent collection care and acquisitions fund of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas.

American Artist

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