Eva Zeisel: Life, Design, and Beauty

by Pat Moore, Pirco Wolfframm, Eva Zeisel (Introduction)

Eva Zeisel was one of the twentieth century's most influential ceramicists and designers of modern housewares. Her distinctive take on modern industrial design was inspired by organic form and brought beauty and playfulness to housewares, earning her designs a beloved place in midcentury homes. This richly illustrated volume—the first-ever complete biographical account of Zeisel's life and work—presents an extensive survey of every line she ever created, all captured in gorgeous new photography, plus 28 short essays from scholars, collectors, curators, and designers. The definitive book on the grande dame of twentieth-century ceramics, this is an essential resource for anyone who appreciates modern design.

Genres: Design, Art

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2013

Reviews

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I'd discovered Eva Zeisel sooner. She is seriously one of the most underrated designers of all time. The amount of dedication that she puts throughout her life is tremendous compared to others. Aside from pioneering functionalism/biomorphic design, she also continuously fought for the civil rights movement. The book is super inspiring, and every photo/illustration is nice to look at.

The only complaint I have about this book is that the texts are difficult to read. The font size is too small, which is ironic for a design book. But you'll get the hang of it, I guess.

Here's a quick quote from the book, which I think brilliantly summarize Eva Zeisel:

"Eva not only carried on working to the end of her life; until the
last few months, she often worked seven days a week, stopping only
to take short breaks."

I wish I'll still have the same level of passion as her when I'm older.

[Topaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history and catalog of Eva Zeisel’s work. Very thorough with full citations and a detailed taxonomy of all her works. It covers everything she created until her death so it’s probably the most complete book on the subject. Lots of great studio photos of the works too. This is great for collectors, and industrial designers too.

[Lorenzo Diaz campos · Rating 5 out of 5]

La sensibilidad y pasión de esta mujer marcó el trabajo en cerámica por más de 60 años en Norteamérica.
Eva Zeisel nació en una Hungría llena de historia y al borde del colapso justo antes de la primera guerra mundial, su infancia y juventud se vieron marcadas por una Europa en conflicto. Al verse encarcelada en Rusia en su tierna juventud pensó que era el fin, pero la vida le otorgó el regalo de vivir 105 largos y productivos años.
La sensibilidad que esta mujer tenía era prodigiosa, y su trabajo con la cerámica se ha vuelto referencia indispensable al narrar la historia del diseño en Norteamérica. En su larga vida produjo más de 10,000 objetos, en su mayoría de producción industrial por lo que sus piezas se reprodujeron en millones. Incursionó además en otros campos, como el vidrio y los textiles, inclusive produjo interesantes piezas de mobiliario. Fue precisamente una silla creada en 1950 la que cautivó mi atención durante una reciente visita al MAD en Nueva York y la que me llevó a estudiar a fondo la vida de esta ejemplar mujer.
Eva declaraba constantemente que ella hacía objetos que servían y los creaba como regalo a los otros. Zeisel nos regaló una belleza y conocimiento en objetos cotidianos poniendo en claro el verdadero significado del diseño, el de todos los días.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given four stars if I didn't have to get out a magnifying glass to read it.The font is microscopic.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I collect pottery but I had no idea the extent of this woman's amazing contribution to pottery design. I hope to have as productive and long-lived life as this women artist.