RAGO AUCTIONS OPEN HOUSE FEATURES A TALK BY CERAMICIST CLIFF LEE, “MY WORK, MY LOVE, MY PASSION” ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12.

Lambertville, NJ:  The Rago Arts and Auction Center hosts an open house on Thursday, February 12, featuring ceramicist Cliff Lee speaking at 6 pm. Dr. Lee is an artist who presents himself with problems and revels in the discovery of their solutions - devising new (usually laborious) techniques and developing proprietary glazes. In “My Work, My Love, My Passion” Dr. Lee will provide insight into his creative process. The talk takes place during the preview week for Rago's 20th c. Decorative Arts and Design Auctions.

Biography (from History in the Making: Renwick Craft Invitational 2011, Washington, D.C. and London: Smithsonian American Art Museum in association with Scala, 2011)

Cliff Lee was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1951, where his father was stationed as ambassador. Lee began his education in Taiwan and moved to the United States in 1968 to attend Eastern Mennonite College, where he earned a degree in biology in 1971. He attended medical school in the 1970s at the Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State College, specializing in neurosurgery.

After starting work as a physician, and looking to reduce stress after long workdays, Lee enrolled in a ceramics class at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It was there that he found the two passions of his life: studio pottery and his future bride, Holly, a jewelry designer. Lee enrolled in the school's ceramics master's program and received his degree in 1976.

From the start, Lee and his wife have sold their own work. Their first gallery was in Arlington, Virginia, followed by the Georgetown section of Washington, DC. They currently live near Stevens, Pennsylvania, and sell work directly from their studio or at major craft shows such as the ACC Baltimore Show, the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, and the Smithsonian Craft Show. In 1993, President and Mrs. Clinton invited Lee to contribute to the White House Collection of American Crafts, an exhibition that toured the country. Lee's work is now included in the permanent collections of several museums, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery; the Mint Museum of Craft + Design, Charlotte, NC; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT; and the Racine Art Museum, Wisconsin. He has received numerous awards at craft shows. His work has been exhibited around the world and featured in publications, including Craft in America: Celebrating Two Centuries of Artists and Objects (2007) and the subsequent television series.

• Peach Vase on Pedestal, 2014  (similar to the piece that is in the WH), Wheel-thrown, carved, applied and sculpted porcelain, Celadon glaze
• Imperial Yellow trio, 2014, Wheel-thrown porcelain, Imperial Yellow glaze
• Sculpted Lava Jar, 2014, Wheel-thrown, carved, porcelain with sculpted lid, Lava, Celadon, Oxblood glazes

The auction house opens on Thursday, February 12 at noon. A reception begins at 5 p.m. Cliff Lee will speak at 6 p.m.

RSVP to 609.397.9374 ext. 119 or raac@ragoarts.com. If you unable to RSVP in advance, please join us if you can; all are welcome.

TO THE EDITOR

High-resolution image available on request.

About Rago Arts and Auction Center

Rago is a leading U.S. auction house with $30 million in sales in 2013. We serve thousands of sellers and buyers internationally with a singular blend of global reach and personal service. Rago holds auctions of 20th/21st c. design, fine art, decorative arts, furnishings, jewelry, militaria, coins and currency, Asian, historic ephemera, and ethnographic property.  A world-class venue through which to buy and sell, it offers valuations for personal property (from a single piece to collections and estates), appraisals, estate services, exhibitions and lectures in house and online. Rago is based in New Jersey, midway between Philadelphia and New York City.

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