Molly Hatch’s Ceramics Modernizes The 17th Century Theme

Artist Molly Hatch has become sought after for her contemporary ceramic installations inspired by historical decoration. Exhibited and collected all over the world, she has a fervent following with her works in private collections as well as museum shows. Her work is both happy and inventive.

In 2013, Hatch had a solo museum exhibition at the Philadelphia Art Alliance and was included in “New Blue and White,” a contemporary decorative arts exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. In the following years, her pieces have been commissioned and installed at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, the Clayarch Gimhae Museum of Korea, and in 2017 at the Newark Museum in N.J. where her largest museum installation of 600 plates titled Repertoire hangs permanently.

Photo Credit: Todd Merrill Studio

The central image of Token, is a large vase of vibrantly painted flowers derived from 17^th century Dutch painting, more specifically “pronkstilleven” (Dutch for ‘ostentatious still life’). Each individual plate of the 70-plate wall installation (80”h x 56”w) serves as a canvas for the artist’s brush strokes.

Together, the plates reveal the intricate abstract floral motif of their source material, bridging the gap between decorative and fine art. The glazed surfaces of earthenware plates collectively become a fragmented canvas for hatch’s delicate painterly re-rendering.

As Hatch works on a commission basis, custom works may be requested through Todd Merrill Studio.