Leza McVey explained

Leza Marie McVey
Birth Name:	Leza Marie Sullivan
Birth Date:	May 1, 1907
Birth Place:	Cleveland, Ohio
Death Place:	Cleveland, Ohio
Field:	Ceramics, Fiber Art
Spouse:	William Mozart McVey
Alma Mater:	Cleveland Institute of Art

Leza Marie McVey (1907–1984) was an American ceramist and weaver. She is known for her large hand-built organic forms.

Biography

McVey née Sullivan was born on May 1, 1907 in Cleveland, Ohio.^[1] She studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art (1927–1932) and at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center (1943–1944).^[2] In 1932, she married the sculptor William Mozart McVey, and from 1935 to 1947,^[3] she worked as a ceramist in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio. William accepted a teaching position at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan in 1947, and there she met the Finnish artist Maija Grotell and became friends with the Japanese-American artist Toshiko Takaezu who studied at the Cranbrook Academy from 1951 to 1954. In 1953, McVey returned to her native city of Cleveland and established her studio in the suburb of Pepper Pike, Ohio.

McVey's large-scaled, biomorphic, asymmetrical work is said to reflect her dissatisfaction with wheel-thrown pieces and to have led the way for modern ceramic art in the United States. Influenced by surrealism, her sculptural stoneware and porcelain works embody the natural, organic form. In 1965, the Cleveland Institute of Art presented a major retrospective of her work that included seventy-five large scale sculptures or what she called "ceramic forms."^[4] By 1979 McVey's production slowed due to her failing eyesight.

McVey died on September 24, 1984 in Cleveland, Ohio.^[1]

Collections containing work

McVey's work may be found in many collections including the Everson Museum of Art,^[5] the Metropolitan Museum of Art,^[6] the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,^[7] and the Syracuse University Art Museum.^[8]

Legacy

In 2002 the art historian Martin Eidelberg wrote a book entitled The ceramic forms of Leza McVey^[9] which helped bring her work back into the public eye.^[10]

Further reading

Eidelberg, Martin P., The Ceramic Forms of Leza McVey. Hudson, New York: Philmark Publishers, 2002.

Notes and References

1. Book: Falino . Jeannine . Crafting modernism: midcentury American art and design: [exhibition Crafting modernism. Midcentury American art and design, Museum of Arts and Design, New York, October 11, 2011 - January 15, 2012; Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, February 27 - May 21, 2012] . 2011 . Abrams . New York . 978-0810984806 . 297.
2. Book: North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century. Garland Publishing. 1995. 0824060490. Heller. Jules. New York and London. 375. Heller. Nancy G.. registration.
3. Web site: Ceramics Today - Leza Marie McVey. www.ceramicstoday.com. 2016-03-05.
4. Book: Janet., Koplos. Makers : a history of American studio craft. 2010. University of North Carolina Press. Metcalf, Bruce, 1949-, Center for Craft, Creativity & Design.. 9780807834138. Chapel Hill. 658203695.
5. Web site: Object of the Week: Ceramic Forms No. 33 and No. 34 by Leza McVey . Everson Museum of Art . 14 December 2023 . 10 June 2019.
6. Web site: Leza McVey Ceramic Form No. 25 . The Metropolitan Museum of Art . 14 December 2023 . en.
7. Web site: Ceramic Form No. 21 . MFAB . 14 December 2023.
8. Web site: Works – Leza McVey . Syracuse University Shaffer Art Building . 14 December 2023.
9. Book: Eidelberg . Martin P. . The ceramic forms of Leza McVey . Philmark Publishers . 9780972690706.
10. Book: Koplos . Janet . Metcalf . Bruce . Makers: a history of American studio craft . 2010 . University of North Carolina press . Chapel Hill . 9780807834138 . 223.