Rudy is the consummate artist...He can paint, draw, sculpt, and play the accordion; he's a real renaissance guy. Our relationship has taught me a world of ideas. I respect Rudy as one of the finest artists and teachers, and hold him as my best friend.
Peter Voulkos
Take a walk through center city Philadelphia, you’ll find evidence of Jane Korman’s vision all around you: on Arch Street, the innovative textile studios and galleries at the Fabric Workshop and Museum will be abuzz with creativity, with thought-provoking exhibitions on view. On Walnut Street, you’ll pass the Jane & Leonard Korman Respiratory Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital—an initiative inspired by her own experience as a lung cancer patient who never took the ability to breathe for granted. Each November at the nearby Pennsylvania Convention Center, the Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show welcomes thousands of eager shoppers whose purchases support both the livelihoods of the artists displaying their work, and the Museum’s ability to acquire important works of contemporary craft. Korman was a longtime supporter and member of the Board of Directors of this annual event through the Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where she also served on the Modern and Contemporary Art Committee. And if you venture a bit further afield to the northwest corner of the city, you’ll reach the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, where Korman was a Trustee and chair of the Fine Arts Committee. There, she spearheaded the creation of a permanent installation for children called Out on a Limb: A Tree Adventure Exhibit, complete with a nest of giant robin’s eggs and a Squirrel Scramble. It was designed as a fully accessible place for children and adults to explore and revel in nature, and to help them see that “we need trees, and trees need us.”
These efforts have something important in common...for Jane Korman, art, life and nature were not separate entities, but deeply intertwined facets of a life well lived.
These efforts have something important in common: breathing deeply and enjoying nature in every season, celebrating art and creativity in all its forms, and sharing the wonder of exquisite craftsmanship with the historic city she loved, all demonstrating that for Jane Korman, art, life and nature were not separate entities, but deeply intertwined facets of a life well lived. The diversity and exceptional quality of the works of art in this important sale speak to this sense of interconnectedness, and reflect her eye for idiosyncratic beauty and adventurous form. From the playful wit of Judy Kensley McKie’s furniture to the trompe-l'œil everyday objects created in clay by Marilyn Levine, Korman’s collection demonstrates reverence for material mastery, an appreciation for originality and non-traditional forms, and enjoyment of the unpretentious humor that animates craft’s whimsical side. It also offers proof of her artistic foresight: McKie’s Table With Dogs was featured in the American Craft Council’s exhibition New Handmade Furniture: American Furniture Makers Working in Hardwood back in 1979.
She believed that like food and nature, works of art, craft and design are part of our shared feast, and should be enjoyed, not tucked away for “someday.”
Korman was well known as a connoisseur and philanthropist, but she was also a gallery owner and published author. Her 2010 book Splendid Settings: The Art + Craft of Entertaining captured the spirit of her much-beloved collection. On the cover, a bouquet of peonies keeps company with a pair of elegant champagne flutes and three brilliantly glazed works by Toshiko Takaezu; this could only be Jane Korman’s table. Born in Philadelphia, she earned a BA in fine arts from Arcadia University, married Leonard Korman in 1957, and they raised three daughters together. In 1977, she established a gallery dedicated to contemporary American craft called Sign of the Swan in Philadelphia’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood. She later opened Swan Gallery near Rittenhouse Square, overseeing both spaces until 1989. Her passion for craft and expertise only grew as she became a trustee of the American Craft Council, and the Museum of Arts and Design, both located in New York, among other organizations. Splendid Settings explains how her varied passions overlapped: nearly 70 recipes, both her own and those shared from friends and artists, are presented against the vibrant backdrop of tables featuring Korman’s collections. She believed that like food and nature, works of art, craft and design are part of our shared feast, and should be enjoyed, not tucked away for “someday.”
To build a collection that encompasses works from such a wide array of genres, time periods, and materials suggests that Korman was inspired by something akin to artistic hospitality. Her collection includes quite a few greats: delicate vessels by George Ohr, vibrant and modern forms by Lucie Rie and Ruth Duckworth, and luminous Toots Zynsky bowls that seem to radiate color and light from their fused glass threads. Rudy Autio’s Blue Horse and Rider shows a woman clinging to the side of a vessel as though it were a wild steed, linking the two distinct forms of pottery and sculpture as though they couldn’t live without one another. Also striking is the number of works obtained directly from the artist, or even commissioned specifically for the Kormans, like Wendell Castle’s sculptural sets of dining tables and chairs.
Jane Korman admired beauty, but didn’t insist on a narrow definition of it.
Jane Korman admired beauty, but didn’t insist on a narrow definition of it. She felt a kinship with artists, being one herself, and understood them through a shared language. Many of the works in her collection are straightforwardly lovely, like Wayne Higby’s serene Landscape Bowl from 1980 or Harvey Littleton’s nearly-edible Ruby Sliced Descending Form from 1985. Others possess a kind of rugged beauty that can only be truly appreciated with an understanding of artistic intent and preternatural skill. Observers might have glanced at Marilyn Levine’s 1984 KCP Bag and seen an ordinary useful object—sturdy, but worn a bit past its prime. Jane Korman saw Levine’s artistic devotion to capturing the contours and details of a personal item freighted with meaning, something that deserved to be realized through careful attention and virtuosic skill. Like nature, artistic inspiration takes infinite forms, and what strikes most people as traditionally beautiful represents just a narrow band of human creative endeavor. As long as a work of art was a triumph of technique, keenly observed, and authentically inspired, it was welcome at Jane Korman’s table.
Sarah Archer is a design writer based in Philadelphia who has authored several books and contributed essays to exhibition catalogs for the Print Center New York, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, the Portland Art Museum, the Milwaukee Museum of Art, and the Museum of Arts and Design. She served as senior curator at the Philadelphia Art Alliance from 2011 through 2014 and was the 2017 Jentel Visiting Critic at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana.
Rudy Autio 1926–2007
Born Arne Rudolph Autio on October 8, 1926, in Butte, Montana, Rudy Autio was an influential American artist whose work significantly contributed to the elevation of ceramics as a fine art form. Growing up in sparsely populated Montana, the majority of Autio’s knowledge about the art world came from books or magazines, as well as after-school art classes taught by artists hired through the Works Progress Administration. He found he was particularly good at drawing and further refined his skills in high school. Autio served in the Navy during World War II and upon returning home, studied at Montana State College (now Montana State University), where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1950. He continued his education at Washington State University, obtaining a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1952.
During his undergraduate studies, Autio met three people who would have a major impact on his life: Frances Senska, who recently joined the faculty and set up a pottery shop on campus, Lela Moniger, his future wife, and Peter Voulkos, who became a close, lifelong friend. In 1952, Autio co-founded the Archie Bray Ceramics Foundation in Helena, Montana, alongside Voulkos. This institution became a pivotal force in the American ceramics movement, fostering a community of ceramic artists and serving as a creative hub for experimentation and growth. Autio's role at the Bray Foundation was instrumental in shaping the direction of contemporary ceramics in the United States.
Autio's work is characterized by its dynamic and expressive forms, often featuring vibrant, painterly surfaces adorned with figural imagery. He frequently drew inspiration from mythology, nature, and the human form, creating pieces that are both whimsical and profound. His unique style blends sculptural and painterly techniques, resulting in works that are both visually striking and deeply evocative. At a time when ceramics were often relegated to the realm of craft, Autio's work demonstrated the medium's potential for artistic expression and innovation. His pieces are notable for their complex forms, intricate surface treatments, and the seamless integration of drawing and sculpture.
Throughout his career, Autio received numerous accolades and honors, including the Tiffany Award in Crafts (1963), the American Ceramic Society Art Award (1978), and a National Endowment grant (1980), Montana Governor’s Award (1981), Fellow of the American Crafts Council, and Honorary member of the National Council of Education in the Ceramic Arts. In 1999, he received the American Craft Council's Gold Medal in 1999, recognizing his lifetime achievements and contributions to the field of ceramics. Additionally, his work has been featured in major exhibitions and is included in the permanent collections of prestigious institutions such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Autio's influence extended beyond his artistic practice; he was also a dedicated educator. He founded the ceramics department at the University of Montana and taught there for nearly three decades, inspiring generations of students with his passion for ceramics and art. Autio relished the task of starting a program from scratch and was invigorated by the challenge, remarking: “I taught everyone who got in my way. Special students, grad students, everybody. It didn't make any difference…I taught them everything I knew, and I never seemed to run out of projects for the students to do. My mind bubbled over.” In his retirement, he traveled around the world, holding various workshops and completing various commissions. Autio was a central figure in the history of contemporary ceramics, on par with his friend and colleague Peter Voulkos, and he continues to be celebrated for his innovative approach to ceramics and his enormous impact on the field as a whole.
