Doyle Lane was a defining voice in twentieth-century West Coast studio ceramics and an important figure in the community of Black artists who established themselves in postwar Los Angeles. His pottery, clay paintings, large-scale murals, and studio jewelry all evince his command of sculptural form and his innovative approach to glazing.
Read MoreLane disregarded distinctions between fine art and craft, not because they felt limiting, but because he sought to create beautiful, transfixing objects that made their way out into the world and that, when sold, enabled him to live as he preferred. The humble radicalism inherent in this position can be seen—and felt—throughout his work, but it is especially alive in the weed pots.
Doyle Lane (b. 1923, New Orleans; d. 2002, Los Angeles) has been the subject of solo exhibitions at David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angeles (2020); The Landing at Reform Gallery, Los Angeles (2014); Los Angeles City College Art Gallery (1970); Brockman Gallery, Los Angeles (1968); and Ankrum Gallery, Los Angeles (1967–1968). A major mural is on long-term view at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California. His work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions, including California Design, 1930–1965: Living in A Modern Way, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2012); California Black Craftsman, Mills College Art Gallery, Oakland, California (1970); Objects: USA, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. (1970); and several iterations of the California Design shows at the Pasadena Art Museum, California (1958-69). Lane's work is included in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.; Oakland Museum of California; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and California African American Museum, Los Angeles, which holds his archives.
Text courtesy David Kordansky Gallery
