Rago, Wright and LAMA are honored to present works from the collection of Marge and Philip Kalodner. The Kalodners have been avid supporters of artists and institutions committed to clay, including The Clay Studio in Philadelphia through the Marge Brown Kalodner Graduate Student Exhibition, which has run continuously since 2013. Over four decades, the Kalodners fervently sought to collect the best examples of contemporary clay, with an encompassing eye for an artist's vision and virtuoso skill. The result is a rich and vibrant collection showcasing the best talent in the field of twentieth century and contemporary ceramics including Viola Frey, Kathy Butterly, Sergei Isupov, Michael Lucero, and Jean-Pierre Larocque.
A conscious erotic element in DeVore's ceramics creates a tension between what is seen and what is suggested. The manner in which he handles the clay has references to the human body. Even DeVore's dry finish brings to mind the parchment-like translucency of skin.
Kenneth Trapp and Howard Risatti
Richard DeVore 1933–2006
Born in Toledo, Ohio, Richard DeVore earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Toledo in 1955 and went on to complete his Master of Fine Arts at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, one of the leading art schools in the United States. His training at Cranbrook under Maija Grotell, a pioneering figure in ceramics, played a pivotal role in shaping his aesthetic and technical mastery.
DeVore became widely recognized for his subtly textured vessels, which are often regarded as abstract forms that evoke the human body, landscape, and organic shapes. His ceramics are distinguished by their understated color palette, dominated by earth tones like browns, grays, and ochres. These muted hues, combined with DeVore’s innovative surface treatments, give his pieces an almost skin-like quality, lending a tactile intimacy to his work. His vessels often featured thin, irregular walls, with interiors that seem to recede infinitely, inviting viewers to look deeper.
From 1966 to 1978, DeVore was Artist-in-Residence and head of the ceramics department at Cranbrook, where he influenced a generation of ceramicists with his emphasis on craftsmanship and emotional depth. His works are held in numerous prestigious collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. His pieces are often described as quietly powerful, merging function and sculpture in a way that is both subtle and profound. DeVore was influenced by traditional Asian ceramics as well as contemporary American movements, yet his work remains distinctly his own, characterized by its meditative quality and minimalist aesthetic.
