Ken Price was a pioneering American artist known for his innovative ceramic sculptures that redefined the medium. Studying at Otis College of Art and Design in the late 1950s, he was influenced by sculptor Peter Voulkos, who argued that ceramics deserved recognition as a legitimate sculptural medium. However, Price took this idea in a unique direction, contrasting Voulkos’s large-scale, abstract forms with small-scale, brightly colored, low-glaze sculptures. His early works were playful, humorous, and irreverent, incorporating elements from graphic design, fashion, folk art, and science fiction. Price often pushed the boundaries of ceramic tradition by applying spray lacquer and paint to his pieces, an approach that was considered sacrilegious by ceramic purists. His work evolved over time, moving toward surreal, extraterrestrial forms in the 1960s and 70s, before entering a “golden period” in the 1990s, where he created intricate surfaces sanded through layers of contrasting paint, resulting in psychedelic, concentric rings of color.