Wave
Annabeth Rosen
(American, born in 1957)
2012
Medium/TechniqueGlazed earthenware, steel wire, steel
Dimensions72"h x 82"l x 34"w
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds donated by Martin and Deborah Hale
Accession number2013.1469
On View
On viewClassificationsCeramics
Collections
Rosen is interested in the rich glazing of early blue-and-white ceramics, especially those from Tang-dynasty China (AD 618–906). Here, she explores how such forms—familiar across cultures for centuries—might combine in volumes of surprising visual force and impact. She bundles hundreds of objects together with wire, suggesting a powerful wave from a distance. Looking closely, each has its own autonomous power. Sumptuous patterning joins with organic form, reminding us of clay’s essential malleable nature—its ability to move from raw to refined, and singular to massive, in an artist's hands.
Provenance2012, consigned by the artist to Beam Contemporary, London; 2013, sold by Beam Contemporary to the MFA. (Accession Date: September 25, 2013)Copyright© Annabeth Rosen
mid 19th century
mid 19th century