otto natzler was born in germany and his first job was designing the color schemes for men's neckties. his passion for clay began when he met gertrud who he had fallen in love with and soon married. their experiments in clay grew into a collaboration where she threw the pots and he did the glazing. world events forced them to flee to los angeles in 1937 where they started the work that would lead them to rank among the most important studio potters of the mid 20th century. pictured above are the natzlers working in their studio in 1940.
after gertrud's untimely passing in 1971 otto did not work for several years. gertrud did leave behind about 200 pots which otto did eventually glaze. while continuing to perfect the over 1,000 glazes that he developed in his lifetime, he finally started his own slab work (as pictured below in a shot from 1982). he remained very active (attributed to his yoga practice) well into his 90s.
the natzler's work is totally beyond breathtaking, i really can't find the words to describe how i feel when i see one of their pieces in person. for those of you not familar with their work i hope the picture of the yellow bowl (below) from 1956 gives you an idea.
i had the honor of being introduced to otto at a museum opening several years ago. it was such a joy for me to shake his hand and tell him how much i admire his work.
(all images from "gertrud and otto natzler - collaboration/solitude" a 1993 exibition catalog for a show at the american craft museum)
