Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
An icon of modernist ceramics since the 1960s, Stan Bitters constructed rough assemblages of clay slabs and spoked wheels into massive murals and tall totems, upsizing his medium to an architectural scale.
Like Toshiko Takaezu, Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner and others, Bitters was part of a small group of American artists during the mid-20th-century who embraced imperfection in their pottery.
Working in ceramics, a material that during the last 100 years was relegated to the supposedly lesser artistic realm of craft, Bitters and these other artists made bold, chunky pieces that served as a counterpoint to the smooth lines and overall slickness of modern and postmodern movements like Bauhaus, constructivism, minimalism, Op art and Pop art.
Hailing from Fresno, California, the self-proclaimed “old hippie” Bitters earned his bachelor’s degree in painting from UCLA. He also studied at what became Otis College in Los Angeles under Voulkos — the bad boy of American ceramics.
Voulkos almost single-handedly spawned what came to be known as the California Clay Movement and flouted pottery’s approved techniques. He transformed clay into a vibrant, highly expressive artistic medium, and Bitters’ funky, fractured style certainly shows it.
Bitters later became associated with organic modernism and created ceramics for Hans Sumpf, a maker of adobe bricks and furniture in Madera.
“Known for his Abstract Expressionist style, Bitters is a steadfast champion of environmental ceramics — the melding of natural, organic clay forms, sculptures and architectural elements into urban spaces to complement, transform and elevate their surroundings,” says Greg Nielson, of Dwell Floor Five, in Studio City, California.
With their sputtery glazes and graffiti-esque glyphs, Bitters’s works exude raw, countercultural energy.
Find Stan Bitters decorative objects, garden ornaments, planters and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware, Plastic
1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Concrete
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Fabric, Bamboo
20th Century Italian Hollywood Regency Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Terracotta
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Clay
Late 19th Century American Antique Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Cast Stone
Early 2000s Philippine Space Age Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Aluminum
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Ceramic
Late 20th Century North American Ming Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary English Victorian Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Lead
1860s Welsh Victorian Antique Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Sandstone
Late 20th Century American Minimalist Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Concrete
Mid-20th Century Chinese Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Ceramic
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Patio and Garden Furniture
Clay