Lloyd Herman (Former Director, Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution) wrote to the Oakland Museum of California staff, "The Oakland Museum stands alone in including works in clay, glass, metal, wood and fibers in its collection and exhibitions along with painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture. You provide a model that other museums might follow."

Indeed, a walk through the Gallery of California reveals an incredible store of decorative art and fine craft treasures by some of California's most innovative artists. In the future, our web page will include photos of work from the collection in our Home Page. For now, here are thumbnail descriptions of four artists represented in the museum's collections.

Margaret de Patta (1903-1964): The core of the Oakland Museum's jewelry collection, which has grown tremendously in the last decade, is the de Patta Collection. The museum owns 45 pieces of her jewelry as well as archival materials. Her work is beautifully sculptural while also functional. She developed new ways to cut transparent stones and new structural techniques for holding them.

Peter Voulkos (b. 1924): He broke new ground with his large-scale experiments in fired clay, using color and form more spontaneously than had been attempted before, thereby influencing an entire generation of ceramicists. The museum owns 10 Voulkos 3-dimensional works, including "Mr. Ishi" (bronze sculpture) and "Little Big Horn" (stoneware, polychrome and underglazes).

Sam Maloof (b. 1916): A major figure in the field of post-World War II American handcrafted furniture, Maloof has created timeless designs that are classics of the modern idiom, with careful attention to structural articulation and elegant simplicity. The museum owns a Maloof settee of walnut with leather seats.

Lia Cook (b. 1942): She has developed innovative techniques in weaving and expanded the possibilities for fiber as a sculptural medium. Her recent work makes witty and profound references to cloth in human history. Her work is lush, technically breathtaking and visually complex. The museum owns "Dolly's Crazy Quilt," a wall piece.

For more information on fine craft at the museum, call Kathy Borgogno in the Art Department, 510-238-3005.