Peter Shire’s earliest encounters with mid-century modern design in Los Angeles were as a young boy, driving down Sunset Boulevard. Looking out of his family's car window as they drove to the beach, it was one storefront in particular that inspired the young Shire: John Lautner’s iconic Googie coffee shop on the corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights. Though Lautner’s design was demolished in 1989, it left an indelible impression on Shire, an aesthetic he dubbed 'California high kitsch'.
The aesthetic influence of Lautner’s Googie architecture – as well as aspects of cubism, futurism and Bauhaus – is visible in Shire’s sculptures and objects, with their sense of play and absurdity. In Shire’s category-defying ceramic works in particular – now the subject of a beautiful survey show at Derek Eller Gallery – these interests intertwine in both structure and sentiment, the possibilities of clay giving Shire the opportunity to push his radical approach to design to its limits. The glorious table-top exhibition contains examples of Shire’s work from the 1970s to 2016, demonstrating both his mastery of mechanics and ability to making you belly laugh with his antithetical objects and sculptures, that include his take on can openers, magnets and shapes inspired by scorpions.
It’s ironic that it was a coffee shop that first piqued Shire’s interest, since he is perhaps best known for his teapots. It was these that caught the attention of Ettore Sottsass, who invited Shire to join Memphis in Milan in the 1980s. Even after this period, Shire continued to think about teapots, and some remarkable examples are on display at Derek Eller, including Guitar (1979) and Mr Peanut Yellow (1996).
The aesthetic influence of John Lautner’s Googie architecture – as well as aspects of cubism, futurism and Bauhaus – are visible in Shire’s works, with their sense of play and absurdity
In Shire’s category-defying ceramic works in particular, these interests intertwine in both structure and sentiment...
... the possibilities of clay giving Shire the opportunity to push his radical approach to design to its limits
It’s ironic that it wa
Some remarkable examples are on display at Derek Eller, including Guitar (1979) and Mr Peanut Yellow (1996)
INFORMATION
’A Survey of Ceramics: 1970s to the Present’ is on view until 9 October. For more information, visit the Derek Eller Gallery website
ADDRESS
Derek Ellery Gallery
300 Broome Street
New York, NY 10002
-
Wallpaper* checks in at the refreshed W Hollywood: ‘more polish and less party’The W Hollywood introduces a top-to-bottom reimagining by the Rockwell Group, capturing the genuine warmth and spirit of Southern California
-
Book a table at Row on 5 in London for the dinner party of dreamsRow on 5, located on the storied Savile Row, emerges as a perfectly tailored fit for fans of fine dining
-
How a bijou jewellery salon in Monaco set the jewellery trends for 2025Inside the inaugural edition of Joya, where jewellery is celebrated as miniature works of art
-
Design Miami 2024 is alive with possibility: here are 14 things to seeDesign Miami 2024 opens 4-8 December – let Wallpaper* guide you to the highlights, from dazzling installations to plump sofas and anthropomorphic sculptures
-
Nendo’s collaborations with Kyoto artisans go on view in New York‘Nendo sees Kyoto’ is on view at Friedman Benda (until 15 October 2022), showcasing the design studio's collaboration with six artisans specialised in ancient Japanese crafts
-
Mudlarking beside the River Thames inspires The New Craftsmen’s makersLondon Design Festival 2022: The New Craftsmen’s new collection, ‘Claylarks’, features work from a group of creatives inspired by a River Thames mudlarking expedition
-
Italian craftsmanship comes to Los Angeles in this eclectic Venice Canals apartmentBoffi Los Angeles celebrates a juxtaposition of texture throughout a waterside bolthole
-
Design Miami/Basel 2022 explores the Golden AgeDesign Miami/Basel 2022, led by curatorial director Maria Cristina Didero, offers a positive spin after the unprecedented times of the pandemic, and looks at the history and spirit of design
-
Kvadrat’s flagship New York showrooms encompass colourful design codesIndustrial designer Jonathan Olivares and architect Vincent Van Duysen have worked with Danish textile brand Kvadrat on the vast new space, also featuring furniture by Moroso
-
What to see at New York Design Week 2022Discover Wallpaper’s highlights from New York Design Week 2022 (10 – 20 May 2022): the fairs, exhibitions and design openings to discover
-
Colour defines LA ceramics studio and showroom of Bari ZipersteinStep inside the multifunctional ceramics studio, office and showroom of designer and artist Bari Ziperstein, designed by local firm Foss Hildreth
