Castore e Polluce (Mytho Vase)

A ceramicist since the 1950s, Caruso has since the 1970s explored the relationship between ceramics and architecture, first with the creation of slip-cast modular elements that he combined to create room dividers or cover walls. Caruso brought new attention to contemporary ceramics in Italy, and he has explored architectural and material forms that recall ancient civilizations, such as steles, columns, portals, shields, and sarcophagi. This slip-cast vase--reminiscent of a cast terra cotta architectural element such as a bracket or urn--shows his continued explorations of these themes. [Mia exhibit label 2011]