Toshiko's Legacy

Many of the artists who defined the postwar American contemporary ceramics movement were often referred to by a single name: Voulkos, Audio, Kaneko for example but only one was most commonly referred to by her first name, “Toshiko.” Rarefied air indeed.

Toshiko Takaezu was a consummate artist, every facet of her life was done with purpose and interconnected. Her life was an artwork; gardening, cooking, and the tea ceremony, all shared equal footing with her ceramic art for which she was best known. She was a prolific creator. Despite a healthy market for her works, she still managed to fill her house, studio, and garden with pieces of every scale imaginable. Before her death in 2011 she donated numerous pieces to various museums throughout the country but many still remain in