One of the cool side-effects of the thrifting/vintage bug is that you learn a lot along the way. Last month I posted about a set of dishes I found that were designed by Eva Zeisel (the fabulous pink-and-black abstract 50s pattern in not-great shape). In researching the dishes I read the Wikipedia article on Zeisel herself, and felt like I was reading the plot to some epic novel of the 20th Century. She was a Hungarian Jew from an intellectually-oriented family who decided to be a potter's apprentice, became Stalin's art director of ceramics in Russia, got thrown in prison when she was accused of plotting to assassinate him, somehow got released and ended up in Vienna just in time for the Nazis to invade, escaped on the last train out and fled Europe for America with her scholar husband, designed for some of the greatest names in pottery, had the first ever one-woman show at MOMA, and raised a family. She was born in 1906 and designed a line for Crate & Barrel! She basically lived all of modern history, and she died on Friday, at 105. I heard about it on NPR today, and after reading her obituary, where they quote her; "I'm always thinking about my friend, someone to whom I'm giving my loveliness, my friendship and my shapes,", I feel all warm and fuzzy about owning some pieces of her work, even if they are kind of beat up; she was an extraordinary woman. Excuse me while I go add her biography to my wish list.
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| Eva Zeisel - design genuis, participant in history and all-around fascinating person who apparently also designed some rugs! |
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