Beatrice Wood: A Centennial Tribute (Inscribed By Author, And With Original Photographs Of Her Studio/Home].

American Craft Museum, 1997. Soft cover. Fine. Very Large Format Soft Cover. First Printing, 1997. Inscribed By Beatrice Wood To Two Patrons. Also With, 12 Color Photographs By The Recipients, Of Beatrice Woods' Studio Showing Dozens Of Her Works And Her Art Collection. . Beatrice Wood (1893 - March 12, 1998) Was An American Artist. Her San Francisco Socialite Parents Sent Her To Paris, Where She Studied Acting At The Comédie-Française And Art At The Prestigious Académie Julian. She Continued Acting With A French Repertory Company In New York City, Performing More Than Sixty Roles In Two Years. She Worked For Several Years Performing On The Stage. Wood's Involvement In The Avant Garde Began With Her Introduction To Marcel Duchamp. He And His Friend Henri-Pierre Roché, A Man Fourteen Years Her Senior, Met Her In New York In 1916 While She Was Visiting The Composer Edgard Varèse. The Three Worked Together To Create The Blind Man And Subsequently Rongwrong, Magazines That Were Two Of The Earliest Manifestations Of The Dada Art Movement In The United States. Though She Was Most Involved With Roché, The Two Often Spent Time With Duchamp, Creating A Kind Of Love Triangle. Wood Met The Art Patrons Walter And Louise Arensberg, Who Became Her Lifelong Friends. From 1915 Through 1920, They Held Regular Gatherings At Their Apartment At 33 West 67Th Street In Manhattan In Which Artists, Writers, And Poets Were Invited To Gather, Where They Were Given Drinks, Hors D'oeuvres, And Engaged In Intellectual Discussions. Besides Duchamp, Roché, And Her, The Group Included Many Other Artists Of The Avant-Garde: Edgard Varese, Charles Sheeler, Joseph Stella, Man Ray And Francis Picabia. Wood's Relationship With These Artists And Others Associated With The Avant-Garde Movement Of The Early 20Th Century, Earned Her The Designation As "Mama Of Dada". Marcel Duchamp Encouraged Her To Draw, Inviting Her To Use His Studio As A Place In Which To Work. Figures Were An Important Part Of The Artist's Work During The 1930S And 40S. She Explored Both Vessel Forms And Sculpture Throughout Her Career. As Her Skills Increased, Wood Consciously Retained A Naive, Illustrative Style To Communicate Her Commentaries On Life And Love. This Approach Makes Clear Her Love Of All Types Of Non-Western Folk And Primitive Art. Deciding To Make The Teapot Herself, She Enrolled In A Ceramic Class At Hollywood High School. This Hobby Turned Into A Passion Which Lasted Another Sixty Years, And She Studied With A Number Of Leading Ceramists Including Gertrude And Otto Natzler. Ultimately, Wood Developed A Signature Style Of Glazing, An All-Over, In-Glaze Luster That Draws The Metallic Salts To The Surface Of The Glaze By Starving The Kiln Of Oxygen. In 1947, Wood Felt Her Career Was Established Enough For Her To Build A Home. She Settled In Ojai, California In 1948 To Be Near The Indian Philosopher J. Krishnamurti. She Became A Lifelong Member Of The Theosophical Society-Adyar. She Also Taught And Lived On The Same Land As The Happy Valley School, Now Known As Besant Hill School. At The Age Of 90, Wood Became A Writer, Having Been Encouraged To Write By Her Friend Anais Nin, A French Writer. Her Best-Known Book Is Her Autobiography, I Shock Myself (1985). When Asked The Secret To Her Longevity, She Responded, "I Owe It All To Art Books, Chocolates, And Young Men. Wood Was A Lifelong Vegetarian Who Abstained From Alcohol And Smoking. In 1994, The Smithsonian Institution Named Wood An "Esteemed American Artist". Wood Left Her Home And Studio To The Happy Valley Foundation. In 2005 It Was Adapted And Opened As The Beatrice Wood Center For The Arts.