Katherine and William Bernstein (Born 1945) American, Whimsical Figural Art Glass Vase. The abstract sculptural teapot form includes a cobalt blue base and top reminiscent of coiled hair, with the main body painted like a face, the eyes observing a green apple in a hand outstretched like a spout, while the other hand curves up onto the head like a handle. Signed and dated 2001 on the underside.  

Size: 7 1/2 x 7 3/4 in. 

Katherine and William Bernstein are an influential artistic couple who were both born in New Jersey in 1945, first meeting in art school at Philadelphia College of Art (now the University of the Arts). After graduating they married in 1968 and took Artist in Residence positions at the Penland School of Crafts in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. They settled in Celo two years later, where they established a joint studio in a log cabin while William helped co-found the internationally recognized Glass Art Society in 1971. Although Katherine initially worked in handmade porcelain, encouragement and casting assistance from glass pioneer Harvey Littleton prompted her to transition exclusively to glass alongside her husband in the late 1970s, and by the 80s the couple established a highly popular line of functional goblets and tableware featuring Katherine’s cane-drawn imagery on William’s hand-blown vessels. Today they continue this collaboration with assistants while independently creating individual pieces for gallery exhibitions. Their son Alex has become a celebrated glass artist in his own right, and their pieces can be found in public, private and corporate collections around the country, including in the Asheville Art Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

All items are sold AS IS. Lot and condition details are for descriptive purposes only. Sarasota Estate Auction is not responsible for errors and/or omissions of condition. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is perfect or free from wear, flaws, or characteristics of age. Please bid according to your own expertise, or request any additional information and/or photographs you deem necessary.