Transcendent Clay: Kondō : a Century of Japanese Ceramic Art

This catalogue celebrates an exhibition of ceramics by four members of the Kondō family, drawn from the holdings of American collectors Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz. Spanning a century of creativity, Transcendent Clay offers a panorama of the family's achievements, from a group of perfectly formed vases with sprightly painted decoration to a half-collapsed outsize jar that interrogates the future trajectory of clay as an artistic medium.

Most of the catalogue is devoted to Kondō Takahiro, living representative of the Kondō lineage. Hand-formed, slab-built, molded, carved, marbleized, or cast from porcelain, other clays, or even glass, his work bears witness to an unwavering commitment to personal, technical, and artistic development; a tireless exploration of the concept of ‘water born of fire’ and the aesthetics of impermanence; and a deeply felt response to natural and man-made disasters and other pressing issues of shared global concern.

Transcendent Clay: The Kondō Family’s Path of Porcelain Innovations (March 1, 2025 - September 7, 2025)
Galleries 251, 252, 253; Free Exhibition