124
124
California Ceramics monographs, ten
California Ceramics monographs, ten
bound printed paper
estimate: $500–700
result: $762
provenance: Collection of James Zemaitis
This work will ship from Chicago, Illinois.
Fifth Chinese Daughter Jade Snow Wong, Harper & Row, New York, 1950. Hardcover with dustjacket. Possible first edition. Signed by Jade Snow Wong and with her seal. A copy sold out of her studio on 408 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco. Memoir of the early years of the ceramicist and enamellist. A classic of Asian American literature.—JZ Minor tears and bites to the dust jacket along the top and bottom. Studio notations on the inside flap. Otherwise, fine.
The Ceramic Work of Gertrud and Otto Natzler, M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, 1971. 74 pages, Softcover. First edition. The first retrospective following the death of Gertrud.—JZ
Form and Fire: Natzler Ceramics 1939-1972, The Renwick Gallery of the National Collection of Fine Arts, Washington DC, 1973. 120 pages, Softcover. First edition.
California Ceramics & Glass 1974, The Oakland Museum. Softcover. First edition. “The jury selected 409 works in ceramics and glass by 271 artists from 2,047 entries to the exhibition.” Prizewinners included Ron Nagle, Jerry Rothman and Laura Andreson.—JZ Ex-library, the Mint Museum of Art with ex-libris label. Minimal markings, otherwise fine.
Ceramic Sculpture: Six Artists Richard Marshall and Suzanne Foley, Whitney Museum of Art and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, University of Wash. 144 pages, Softcover. First edition. Comprising works by Peter Voulkos, John Mason, Kenneth Price, Robert Arneson, David Gilhooly, and Richard Shaw.
Gertrud and Otto Natzler: Collaboration/Solitude Janet Kardon, American Craft Museum, New York, 1993. 96 pages, Softcover. First edition.
Jade Snow Wong: A Retrospective Maxine Hong Kingston, Kathleen Hanna, Jade Snow Wong, Forrest L. Merrill, The Chinese Historical Society of America, San Francisco, 2002. 72 pages, Hardcover with dustjacket. First edition, rare. Signed, dated and inscribed to the previous owner by Jade Snow Wong.
The Art of Vivika and Otto Heino, Ventura County Museum of History & Art and the Craft & Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, 2005. 88 pages, Softcover. First edition. Signed by Otto Heino.
Doyle Lane: Clay Paintings Gerard O'Brien and Ricky Swallow, The Landing, Los Angeles, 2014. 62 pages, Softcover. First edition, already scarce.
Voulkos: The Breakthrough Years Glenn Adamson et al., Museum of Arts and Design, New York, Black Dog Publishing, London, 2016. 206 pages, Softcover. First edition.
At the intersection of scholarship and connoisseurship lies Curated: The Design and Library of James Zemaitis—an offering that reflects a career spent exploring, documenting, and shaping the discourse around modern and contemporary design. This carefully assembled selection includes both a compelling group of design works and a rich library of publications that have guided and inspired James Zemaitis throughout his decades in the field.
As Director of Museum Relations at R & Company since 2016, James has played a central role in developing exhibitions and fostering institutional partnerships. His recent curatorial projects, including Born Too Tall: California Women Designers, Postwar to Postmodern, demonstrate a thoughtful and inclusive approach to design history. Prior to his time at R & Company, James held leadership positions at Sotheby’s and Phillips, producing over fifty design sales and helping shape the trajectory of the postwar and contemporary design market.
This collection reflects James’s deep engagement with the material and intellectual history of design. The included library—rich with foundational texts, rare catalogues, and scholarly references—provides a rare window into the ideas and research that have underpinned his work as a curator, advisor, and educator.
This auction brings together design and scholarship in a way that reflects a lifetime of passion and purpose. We are honored to invite collectors, curators, and enthusiasts alike to discover a collection shaped by insight, research, and enduring care.