Raul Coronel

I have held back loads of interesting info because I didn't know that

Many of the Getty funded PST (Pacific Standard Time) exhibits featuring Mid-Century California design are currently underway, including two that feature Raul's work: The American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) and The Craft and Folk Art Museum (CFAM). Raul was also one of the featured participants in a panel discussion held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). He will also be taking part in AMOCA's "Second Saturday Lecture Series" in February 2012 along with several other well known artists of the period.
The LACMA event and the opening receptions for the two museum shows gave him a chance to reconnect with old friends from the ceramic art world, many of whom he has not seen in decades, as well as meet new admirers. He has been truly energized by the attention he has gotten from these events, and the realization that he has not been "forgotten with the clay dust". He was interviewed by a reporter at the CFAM reception and the interview was broadcast by a local radio station.
A previously "unseen" vase will be included in The American Ceramic Society, California Design Division's "President's Show" at the Burbank Creative Arts Center in May 2012 (he was President of the Society's Design Division in 1968).
Recently a 100 foot long ceramic mural depicting "The History of Medicine" created by Raul in the 1960's for Miles Laboratories in Elkhart, Indiana has gathered some attention because Miles was going to have it removed and sold or destroyed. A local reporter got wind of the story and brought it to the attention of the Mayor and City Council, who alerted the community and collected donations to remove and preserve this remarkable piece of historic art. Portions of the mural (and many more pieces of Raul's work) are shown in Polly Rothenberg's (now out of print) book "The Complete Book of Ceramic Art"; photos were also shown in a local Elkhart newspaper.
Coronel's work is featured in catalogs for both the AMOCA and CFAM exhibits (The AMOCA catalog is particularly impressive and informative).
Additionally Raul has recently finished his second novel "The Cortez Coins", which is now available as an "e book" through Amazon. He is currently working on a third book, an autobiography, and he is now on Facebook (in case you want to "friend" him).

Here is a pic of the previously mentioned "unseen" vase. This piece belongs to Raul's sister-in-law. As he remembers, it is approximately 18 inches tall (!). The calla lily design recalls the work of (the late) Mexican artist Diego Rivera who used a calla lily motif in several works.

Here is a piece turned up the other day by "Thoroughly Modern Billy" (seems he lives fairly close to me and showed up at my garage sale last week, when we both realized we had communicated on the Forum). This plate is about 10 inches in diameter, and made in 1976.

Hello, Dantheman directed me to this forum discussion and I was hoping somebody here could help me identify the date, title and retail value of a Raul Coronel mixed media piece of a ceramic bird mounted on a rectangular, yellow burlap panel.

I just opened a new discussion about this and my first post includes details and a photograph of the work. Here is the link:

http://www.20thcenturyforum.com/t8437-raul-coronel-ceramic-bird-mounted-on-rectangular-yellow-burlap-panel#68327


Any information (especially the value ;) ) anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance for your help ,

-A

Welcome Serigraph thanks for showing your pieces.

We don't really do valuations here, someone may hazzard a guess but it just depends on where and when you sell it. Have a look at ebay sold items perhaps.

xx

The piece is titled "Female Pheasant". Raul told me this is one of his earliest designs for wall pieces (from the 1950's). It is pictured in the 1970's catalog with an original price of $60. This piece is likely from the 60's-70's and was done by a studio assistant.

The following pics are lamp bases that were designed by Raul for Burlington Industries (possibly early 1980's). These are the original prototypes that were provided to Burlington, which made molds, cast and glazed the pieces and sold them through furniture stores. I don't think Raul ever saw any of the finished pieces, so it is unclear what material they were ultimately made of or what finishes were used. I've never seen any of the lamps out in the field, but I will be searching now....

Dear Skay: Thank you so much for the welcome and for your ebay suggestion.

Dear Calusa: Thank you so much for the information and for your time! It's a wonderful piece and I'm very grateful to you for helping me learn more about it.

Cheers to all ,
Serigraph

Here are a couple of pieces that recently turned up. The first is a fairly large planter scored by my friend (and Forum mate) "thoroughlymodernbilly". It is about 14 inches tall. It initially appeared unsigned, but on close examination, I found it to be incised "coronel", though not through the typical brush stroke of engobe for contrast. It is a catalog listed piece.
The second item is a mounted 12 x 12 inch tile entitled "Jeweled Bird With Sun", I got this off ebay and it was one of a pair listed, but my bid on the second didn't go through so I ended with just the one. At least I got the signed one; it is signed "coronel" and not "raul", but Raul recognized it as his signature and told me he made it. It was mounted on wood by a former owner who said he received just the tiles and mounted them himself. Normally they were sold through Raul's studio/showroom mounted on either a burlap or linen covered backing and framed.

A few weeks ago my wife and I attended The Modernism Show in Palm Springs California. Gerard O'Brien, owner of Reform Gallery in Hollywood had some interesting pieces of Raul's work on display. The first pic shows 3 framed pieces of abstract tile compositions which were originally created as wall treatment for Raul's second studio showroom on Federal Avenue in L.A. in the mid to late 1970's. They are shown among an array of MCM period Paul McCobb modernist furniture. The weed bottle on the table was also made by Raul.
The second photo shows 4 of 7 wall pieces created as a commission for Howard Hughes' Landmark Hotel in Las Vegas. These pieces were originally part of a group of seven, ranging in size from approximately 10 inches to approximately 6 feet. The location of the remaining 3 pieces is unknown. Some of these pieces and others from the group are shown in Polly Rothenberg's book "The Complete Book of Ceramic Art" (out of print, but available from used book sellers) which features several photos of Raul and his work.

Calusa - those 5 lamp bases are BEAUTIFUL!! wow!
I wish we could find these over here in the UK...........

Great pieces!
Thanks for the references.

Here is a very tall and somewhat top heavy lamp base from Gerard O'Brien of Reform Gallery:

Here is an old photo of the original location of Stoneware Designs on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood (circa 1958). This place was eventually vacated in the 60's or 70's because the government seized the land through eminent domain law to make way for the Pacific Design Center. Stoneware Designs was relocated to Federal Avenue in Los Angeles.