The Crocker Art Museum Presents First Major Retrospective of Sculptor Clayton Bailey

Written by Felix Esperson Friday, 20 April 2012 20:36

Sacramento, CA.– The Crocker Art Museum is pleased to present the first career-spanning retrospective of the work of contemporary sculptor Clayton Bailey in the new exhibition “Clayton Bailey’s World of Wonders.” This exhibition features 180 works and ephemera encompassing Bailey's 50-year career, and is now on view.A ceramist, sculptor, and self-proclaimed “mad scientist,” Bailey aims to surprise and delight with his art. This exhibition presents the full range of his inspired eccentricity in clay and metal, including his signature “exploding pots,” disarming robot sculptures, and ray guns inspired by science fiction and fashioned from discarded aluminum. Also included are the artist’s pseudo-scientific discoveries made under the name of his alter-ego Dr. George Gladstone.

Visitors to the exhibition will also experience Bailey’s full-scale theatrical settings, including the mockumentary “Wonders of the World Museum.” Exhibition curator Diana L. Daniels notes that while Clayton Bailey is a major figure of Funk art, the American sculptural ceramics movement known for its playful sensibility, “He is serious about the craft of humor and making art. For more than five decades Bailey has made it acceptable to laugh at contemporary culture and even ourselves with objects that linger in the imagination.”

Bailey studied with Harvey Littleton, the father of the contemporary glass movement, at the University of Wisconsin. Visiting instructors Bernard Leach, Toshiko Takaezu, and Peter Voulkos further shaped his approach. Bailey moved to California in 1968, settled in the Bay Area, and became a leading educator, teaching at California State University, Hayward for 26 years. His work is represented in collections from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution.

The Crocker Art Museum collection now focuses on California, European and Asian artworks, and international ceramics. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.crockerartmuseum.org

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