Background

Ron Nagle was born on February 21, 1939, in San Francisco, California, United States. Nagle’s father, a craftsman, managed a radio and appliance business, and Nagle’s mother had a ceramics studio in the basement of the family house.

Education

In his childhood, Ron Nagle was introduced to clay by his mother who was a ceramicist and learned the value of fine craftsmanship from his father.

While in a high school, in addition to ceramics, Ron tried his hand in metalwork producing jewelry which he sold. He firstly enrolled at an English department of the San Francisco State College (currently San Francisco State University) but soon shifted to art. He graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics.

The same year, he was an apprentice of Peter Voulkos at the University of California, Berkeley.

Career

The start of Ron Nagle’s career can be counted from 1961 when he joined the staff of San Francisco Art Institute where he taught sculpture till 1965. Simultaneously, Nagle served as an assistant to Peter Voulkos at the University of California, Berkeley from 1962 to 1973. Voulkos provided the young sculptor with a small salary and space for work. Nagle’s debut solo show took place at Dilexi Gallery in 1968.

Nagle’s work of the period was small colorful sculptures inspired by the color theory of Joseph Albers, the Momoyama period of Japanese ceramics, and the art of Georgio Morandi. Their humor was somehow similar to the art of the California Funk movement.

By the 1970s, Nagle’s sculptural compositions became minimalistic. In 1976, the artist came back to academics in San Francisco Art Institute where he spent two more years teaching art. Then, he became a teacher at Mills College.

During the next decade, Ron Nagle incorporated in his works various organic objects a little bit related to ceramics in form. Throughout the 1990s, Nagle adopted slip casting for his porcelain cups which essential element was chunky handles and decals as a decoration.

Since the first solo show in the late 1960s, Nagle has exhibited his work throughout the United States, including the shows at the Saint Louis Art Museum, Carnegie Museum of Art, San Diego Museum of Art, and art spaces in Japan, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Germany, Turkey. His sculptures were also featured at Venice Biennale.

In addition to sculpting and teaching, Nagle is also a talented musician. He has shown himself as a composer, lyricist, singer, and pianist. The sculptor collaborated with Barbra Streisand, The Tubes, Leo Kottke, Sammy Hagar, performed with The Durocs duo along with Scott Matthews, and worked on special sound effects for the movies ‘Cat People’ and ‘The Exorcist’. Besides, the artist has issued a number of solo albums, including Bad Rice at Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Ron Nagle retired from Mills College in 2010. Nowadays, he lives and works in San Francisco, California.

Achievements

• 

  Ron Nagle is an accomplished sculptor whose works having been made for about 50 years of his career are widely recognized. He is an important figure of the California Clay Movement which helped to raise the status of ceramic art.
  
  His contributions to sculpture art have been recompensed by such awards as Flintridge Foundation Visual Artist Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, Adaline Kent Award from San Francisco Art Institute. He has also been a recipient of many fellowships, including those from the National Endowments for the Arts, the American Craft Council, and Guggenheim Foundation, two Mellon Grants, and the Joan Danforth Endowed Faculty Chair at Mills College.
  
  Nagle’s special sound effects for ‘The Exorcist’ movie provided him with an Academy Award for Best Sound.
  
  Nagle’s work is acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
  
  In 2019, Nagle’s ‘Happy Zapper’ was purchased at Cornette de Saint Cyr in Brussels for $23,192.

Works

More photos

• sculpture

  • Chef’s Discretion

  • Virtual Valet

  • Flatpoint

  • Mint From Memory

  • Cappuccino Nervosa

  • Conversation Peace

  • Quartersan

  • Early Bird Special

  • Conversion Immersion

  • Getting to No

  • Solomon’s Option

  • Fireplug Jar

  • Cup with Fin

  • Chinese Modern

  • Perfume Bottle

  • Contessa

  • Matte King Cole

  • Elephant Shadow Cup

  • Pepperheaded Finch Cup

  • Sleeping Girl Sake Set

  • Night of the Hunter

  • Related to Sadie

  • Moreschi

  • Door of opportunity swing both ways

  • Swingin’ Vegan

  • Odd Toddler

  • Balky Caucaus

  • Blank Velvet

  • Glorious Assemblage

  • Aunt Candy

Views

Quotations: "The greatest thrill for me is making stuff, whether it's visual or musical. If other people like what I do, all the better."

"I’ve never used the word “professional,” although that’s what I am. To a large degree, it’s too much. I know there’s a certain amount of allure or pretense — depending on where you’re coming from — when you say that. When you say “professional artist,” people automatically assume it’s painting. Then I say, “I make small sculptures.” I’m very reluctant to use the word “ceramics” because ceramics for years had such a bad reputation. The best people working in clay do not declare themselves clay artists."

"I don’t think I know how to procrastinate. It’s not a matter of principle. I would love to, love to, but I can’t do it. I always feel like I gotta make something."

Personality

Ron Nagle has a great sense of humor which is reflected in perky titles he gives to his works, like ‘Pastafarian’, ‘Urinetrouble’, and ‘Karma Gouda’.

Nagle considers his current works as 3-D paintings.

Ron Nagle appreciates R&B, Motown, the music of Philadelphia from the ’70s, like Gamble and Huff. He also listens to electronic dance music and musicians like James Blake, Frank Ocean, and Kendrick Lamar. Although he is a humorous person, he loves sad music.

Interests

• Artists

  Giorgio Morandi, Cy Twombly, Billy Al Bengston, Lucio Fontana, Philip Guston, Kenny Price, Peter Voulkos

• Music & Bands

  R&B, music of Philadelphia from the 1970s, James Blake, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar

Connections

Ron Nagle is married to Cindy Ehrlich. They have a daughter Lucy.

Spouse:

Cindy Ehrlich

Ron Nagle with Cindy Ehrlich and their daughter Lucy in 1985.

Daughter:

Lucy Nagle

colleague:

Barbra Streisand

colleague:

Scott Matthews

colleague:

Sammy Hagar

References

• Ron Nagle's Official Website