Draft:LaGardo Tackett

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LaGardo Tackett
Born1911 (1911)
Henderson, Kentucky
Died1984 (aged 72–73)
Known forCeramics, furniture design

LaGardo Tackett (1911–1984) was an American ceramicist, potter, and furniture designer. He was known for his minimalist designs that influenced mid-20th-century modern ceramics.[1]

Early life and education

Tackett was born in Henderson, Kentucky, the son of Oscar and Lillian Tackett, a grocer.[2] He later explained that his unusual first name was taken from a tomato can in his father's store.[2] He entered Indiana University to study geology but left after two years, meeting his future wife Virginia Lee Roth at the university.[2][3]

Career

In 1937, Tackett and his wife moved to New York. Virginia worked for CUE Magazine while Tackett worked for The May Company department store.[2] By the early 1940s, he was promoted to interior promotion director, requiring a move to Los Angeles.[2]

Tackett was drafted during World War II and returned in 1945. He used the GI Bill to study at Scripps College at the Claremont Colleges, which offered a formal academic approach to ceramics.[2] He taught at the California School of Art in Los Angeles, including a course at his own kiln in Pasadena.[4][2] He mentored several students, including John Follis and Rex Goode.[2]

In 1949, entrepreneurs Max and Rita Lawrence founded Architectural Pottery in Los Angeles to produce and market the designs of Tackett and his students.[2][5] The Museum of Modern Art displayed Architectural Pottery in its 1951 Good Design show.[2] Tackett's ceramic designs were widely used in Case Study Houses and modernist landscapes.[6]

Tackett Associates was founded in 1953 with a large ceramics studio in Santa Monica.[2] In 1956, the Tacketts moved to Kyoto, Japan, after meeting Paul Schmid of Schmid International.[2] Tackett designed dinnerware, serving pieces, storage containers, and decorative objects for Schmid International.[2] His green and orange Schmid Porcelain dinnerware set is in the permanent collection of the International Museum of Dinnerware Design and the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art in Gifu, Japan.[2]

The Tacketts returned to the United States briefly, then moved to Tokyo in 1960.[2] In 1961, they returned to the United States and settled in Weston, Connecticut.[2] Tackett continued to design for Schmid International and organized programs at the Brookfield Craft Center.[2]

Personal life and death

Virginia Tackett died in 1982. LaGardo Tackett died in 1984.[7]

Legacy

Tackett's work is in the collection of the British Museum.[4] Architectural Pottery pieces designed by Tackett remain in production through VesseL USA.[2] His work is considered an icon of mid-century modern design.[8]

References

  1. "Exploring LaGardo Tackett and his Modernist Ceramic Art". Encyclopedia.Design. January 2, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  2. "Schmid Porcelain". International Museum of Dinnerware Design. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  3. "The Andy Lin Collection of LaGardo Tackett Primal Drawings". Wade F. MacDonald. July 10, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  4. "LaGardo Tackett". British Museum. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  5. "Max and Rita Lawrence Architectural Pottery records, circa 1950–1994". Online Archive of California. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  6. "LaGardo Tackett". Invaluable. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  7. "LaGardo Tackett". MutualArt. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  8. "Design nerds are obsessed with Architectural Pottery". Los Angeles Times. December 3, 2024. Retrieved June 17, 2026.

Category:1911 births Category:1984 deaths Category:American ceramists Category:American furniture designers