Manz, Richard

Richard Manz was born in Esslingen, Germany in 1933. Between 1947 and 1950 he was apprentice at a commercial pottery in Germany. Between 1950 and 1953  he worked in a studio in Germany. Between 1956 and 1965 he worked in Sweden, including at Gustavsberg. In 1966 he attended the Escuela de Deseño y Artesanos in Mexico and studied under Peter Voulkos at Berkeley University of California, together with his wife Bodil. Since 1967 he maintains a studio with his wife Bodil. 1975 Study trip to Japan. 1980 visiting lecturer at Metropolitana University, Azcapotzalco in Mexico. Richard Manz died in 1999 (text: Danish Ceramic Artists and Leen Quist, 1990).

Richard Manz is a versatile ceramic artist. In cooperation with his wife he makes monumental mural decorations, as well as small series of handmade and semi-industrial functional wares. His unique pieces are thrown or made by hand in stoneware and sometimes in porcelain. In his earlier works the main accent was on texture contrasts, smooth alongside coarse, polished alongside raw. etc. His recent work consists of stern, powerful, geometric forms among which spheres, cones, pyramids and cylinders. Some are functional, others just sculptural forms. He glazes and fires them in a reducing atmosphere to 1300 degrees C. (text: Danish Ceramic Artists and Leen Quist, 1990).

Spruit-Ledeboer, Mieke, e.a., Danish Ceramic Artists and Leen Quist , 1990.

Portrait (in a catalogue 1991, Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden The Netherlands); object (source: Danisch Art Pottery).