John Mason
John Mason, Blue Figure, 2002. Ceramic, 59 × 23 ¾ x 23 ¾ in. (149.9 × 60.3 × 60.3 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. © John Mason. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen
Born 1927 in Madrid, NE
Lives and Works in Los Angeles, CA
Since the early 1950s, John Mason has pushed the technological and aesthetic boundaries of ceramics, a field more often associated with domestic vessels and tiles than with the type of totemic, abstract sculptures and complex wall works on view in the 2014 Biennial. Although Mason’s first works were produced during the heyday of Abstract Expressionism, their polished yet rugged finish and balance of raw energy with mathematical precision lend his pieces a mesmerizing and mysterious effect that is wholly unique. Throughout his career, every new project has presented a demanding technological problem, often inspiring the invention of new ceramic fabrication and firing techniques. Mason's recent sculptures included in the Biennial represent the result of more than sixty years of perfecting his original techniques and formal motifs.
2014 Biennial: John Mason
Works by John Mason
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John Mason, Blue Figure, 2002. Ceramic, 59 × 23 ¾ x 23 ¾ in. (149.9 × 60.3 × 60.3 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. © John Mason. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen
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John Mason, Spear Form, Soft White, 1999. Ceramic, 66 × 28 × 28 in. (167.6 × 71.1 × 71.1 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. © John Mason. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen
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John Mason, Vertical Torque, White, 1997. Ceramic, 58 ¾ x 12 × 12 in. (149.2 × 30.5 × 30.5 cm). Collection of Andrew Franklin. Courtesy the artist and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles. © John Mason. Photograph by Fredrik Nilsen
