Background
Price was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, United States, on February 16, 1935. He was the son and grandson of inventors.
Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
University of Southern California, Bachelor of Fine Arts.
9045 Lincoln Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Otis College of Art and Design.
24700 McBean Pkwy, Valencia, CA 91355, USA
California Institute of the Arts.
Alfred, New York, United States
New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.
Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
University of Southern California, Bachelor of Fine Arts.
Kenneth Price creating a scilpture.
Kenneth Price in his studio.
Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
University of Southern California, Bachelor of Fine Arts.
9045 Lincoln Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045, USA
Otis College of Art and Design.
24700 McBean Pkwy, Valencia, CA 91355, USA
California Institute of the Arts.
Alfred, New York, United States
New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University.
Kenneth Price creating a scilpture.
Kenneth Price in his studio.
Kenneth Price with his sculptures
Price was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, United States, on February 16, 1935. He was the son and grandson of inventors.
Kenneth Price received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California in 1956. Then he studied under the ceramicist Peter Voulkos at the Los Angeles County Art Institute (now Otis College of Art and Design). Price continued his education at Chouinard Art Institute in 1957. He got his Master of Fine Arts degree from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1959.
In the 1950s Price developed his interest in Mexican pottery when he was living along the Pacific coast. Much of his artworks during this time were characterized by the functionality and soon enough he was able to develop his unique glazing techniques. After his return to California in 1960, Ken Price joined the developing Los Angeles Contemporary Art scene that included Larry Bell, Billy Al Bengston, John Altoon, and Robert Irwin. Price's first exhibit was held at the Ferus Gallery, where he became briefly identified with the "Los Angeles Cool School" of artists.
Ken Price went to Japan in 1962, where he concentrated on the works and techniques of Japanese ceramicists. His so-called Egg series was produced during the 1960s. His another famous series comprised teacups with animals (primarily frogs) affixed to them. After six months in Japan, Price returned to Los Angeles and stayed there until 1970, when he and his wife, Happy, moved to Taos, New Mexico. While in Taos, Price became interested in Mexican folk pottery once again. A retrospective titled Happy's Curios was presented at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1978. The artist spent nearly six years working on the project.
Around 1982 Price and his family moved from Taos to New Bedford, Southeastern Massachusetts. There he worked in his studio near New Bedford and primarily concentrated on developing his sculptural forms. In the early 1990s he returned to Los Angeles and in 1992 he held his first retrospective at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ken Price served as chair of the ceramics department at the University of Southern California between 1993 and 2003. In later years Price moved away from cups, and, at the time of his death, he was primarily working in larger Abstract forms.
Ken Price was one of the most important sculptors, who became known for his use of colours and odd shapes in the sculpting of cups, who eventually progressed to larger pieces.
In honour of the artist, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art displayed one of his final works, Zizi (2011), in the lobby of its Ahmanson building. In 2013, he was also the subject of a retrospective titled Slow and Steady Wins the Race, Works on Paper, 1962-2010, which was held at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Drawing Center, and the Harwood Museum of Art.
Price's works can be found at many museums around the country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, NY, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, District of Columbia, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, California.
Interior with Sculpture
Untitled
Death Shrine
Japanese Tree Frog Cup
Untitled
Figurine Cup VI
Hot Bottoms
Untitled KP-007
Figurine Cup
Décor for Vase
Print from Heat Wave
Print from Heat Wave
Print from Heat Wave
Print from Heat Wave
Untitled (Gondolier)
Lorna's Combat
Lorna
Mexican Arts/Happy's Curio
"I can't prove my art's any good or that it means what I say it means. And nothing I say can improve the way it looks."
Quotes from others about the person
Peter Plagens: "The art of Ken Price is a lively link between the austerity of Minimalism (he never wasted a curve or a colour) and the inclusiveness of postmodernism (his work can remind you of everything from Constantin Brancusi to American Indians to Japanese woodblocks), proving that in art there are no real ruptures, only intriguingly disguised continuities."
Ken Price was married to a woman named Happy. Together they produced a son, Jackson Price, who later served his father as an assistant.
