Ruth Duckworth, Vessel

Written by NEHMA's Visitor Services staff member Katie Whitmore

December 18, 2015

German born artist Ruth Duckworth is a world-renowned ceramicist. She took up art as a child after a doctor recommended that she remain homebound to improve her health. Despite her health struggles she left Nazi Germany for the safety of England where she studied at Liverpool College of Art, Hammersmith School of Art, and City and Guilds of London Art School.

Duckworth began her career as a stone carver and decorated tombstones. She transitioned to sculpture after viewing an Indian art exhibit in 1956. Her sculptures take inspiration from nature, but more specifically from the elements. One of her most well know pieces, entitled “Earth, Water, and Sky” was commissioned for the Geophysical Science Building at the University of Chicago where Duckworth also taught from 1964 to 1977. This was her first real attempt at creating a sculptural wall mural. The Mural was a complete success, leading her to create two other large wall murals in the Chicago area. “Earth, Water, and Sky” is based on the topographical layout of the Earth's surface taken from satellite images and depicts concentric rings glazed in earthy tones. Another popular piece, “Clouds Over Lake Michigan”, was commissioned in 1976 and depicts the Lake Michigan watershed. This mural now resides in the Chicago Board Options Exchange building.

Many of Duckworth’s sculptures went untitled, such as the one featured here. It is a small, delicate piece that differs from her other large sculptures during this time period. It is clay but was not created on a wheel and then fired, nor is it a sculpture made from metal, stone or wood. Instead the piece finds a middle ground between the artist’s varied media. This abstract piece is hand-molded. Many of Duckworth’s sculptures were poorly received by other artists at the time, but she gained a following in England.

Her work has been featured in many prominent exhibits around the world, most notably Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection as well as major collections in the United States, Europe, and Japan. She also won the 1993 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Museum of Women in the Arts and a 1996 Gold Medal from the National Society of Arts and Letters. She was called a Visionary by the Museum of Arts and Design in 2003 as well as many other honors. Ruth Duckworth continuing to sculpt until her death, at the age of 90 years old in 2009.