I make ceramic sculptures which reflect on the social and political dilemmas of our world. Ultimately, my works are about lessons heard, but not heeded, during the 20th Century, and how these ignored lessons will affect this new century and the human species' ability to survive the next 100 years. My work is a visual plea for sanity.
— Richard Notkin
For years master ceramic artist Richard Notkin has used his art to speak out against the horrors and follies of war. His signature tiles, depicting scenes or horror as well as images signifying both vitality and destruction, are always captivating and exquisitely made.
Collectors have acquired tiles in pairs and sets, sometimes framing them to create a kind of narrative—one forged by the creative impulses of both artist and admirer. We invite you to find the tiles—and create the narratives—that compel you intellectually, emotionally and aesthetically.
AVAILABLE TILES
about the artist
Richard Notkin has been a full-time studio artist for over 50 years. He has a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute, and an MFA from the University of California, Davis. Notkin’s series of Yixing (China) inspired teapots and ceramic sculptures have been exhibited internationally and are in more than 75 public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Japan. He has held visiting artist positions and conducted over 350 workshops throughout the world.
Among his many awards, Notkin has received three fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and grants from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation. In 2008, he was elected a Fellow of the American Craft Council, and was also awarded the Hoi Fellowship by the United States Artists Foundation. He is the recipient of the Meloy Stevenson Award from the Archie Bray Foundation, and the Honorary Membership Award from the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. In 2025 he received the Virginia A. Groot Foundation's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award.