Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Construction

Designer John Mason American
1962
Not on view
John Mason, a California potter-sculptor, attended the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles and the Otis Art Institute, studied under Peter Voulkos from 1955 to 1957, and shared a studio with Voulkos from 1957 to 1959. Mason, along with Voulkos and other west coast artists, blurred the boundaries between traditional ceramics and sculpture in the 1950s and 60s. Mason's abstract works reflect the spirit of experimentation and aggressiveness embodied by the earlier Abstract Expressionist painters, such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Hans Hofmann. This particular piece appears to be part of a series of sculptures that were based on the ancient form of the cross, though Mason denied any religious connotation. His crosses were often deconstructions, turned on their edges or featuring double or triple horizontal bars. The work also reflects Mason's interest in and experimentation with colored glazes.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Construction
  • Designer: John Mason (American, Madrid, Nebraska 1927–2019 Carlsbad, California)
  • Date: 1962
  • Medium: Stoneware, paint
  • Dimensions: 29 1/4 × 18 1/2 × 17 1/2 in. (74.3 × 47 cm)
  • Classification: Ceramics-Pottery
  • Credit Line: Gift of Linda Leonard Schlenger, 2019
  • Object Number: 2019.402.3
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Spear, John Mason American, Glazed and unglazed stoneware
Spear
John Mason
1956
Gray and Brass, John Sloan American, Oil on canvas, American
Gray and Brass
John Sloan
1907
Arhat (Luohan), Stoneware with three-color glaze, China
Arhat (Luohan)
China
ca. 1000
Necklace, Meta Overbeck American, Gold, emeralds, Montana sapphires, topazes, enamel, American
Necklace
Meta Overbeck
Louis C. Tiffany
Manufacturer Tiffany & Co.
ca. 1914–15
Large Jug, Simone Leigh American, Stoneware
Large Jug
Simone Leigh
2021–22

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.