Margrit Linck at Museum für Gestaltung

inspiration

17 Jan

When Swiss ceramicist Margrit Linck opened a commercial pottery workshop near Bern in the 1930s, she ventured into a field dominated by men – women back then were responsible for painting and decorating, but not the designing and throwing of the ceramics. Margrit Linck became a sought-after artist and craftswoman who established and ran a successful pottery business until she died in the 1980s. Today, some of the functional, modern, monochrome ceramics for everyday use that she developed between the 1950s and 1970s – vases, bowls, tableware, lamp bases – are still produced by Linck Ceramics. They are sought-after pieces that adorn tables, sideboards and shelves in the homes of design lovers in Switzerland and beyond, yours truly included.

Until mid-April 2024, an exhibition at the Museum für Gestaltung in Zurich is dedicated to Margrit Linck. Visitors are taken on a chronological journey through her oeuvre. The exhibition includes her well-known functional designs and a broad selection of her fine art pieces, from early works of painted ceramics to the dynamic, organic, contorted forms she created from the 1970s onwards. You will also get insight into Linck's creative process and craft, illustrated by original sketches and photographs. Samples and unglazed bisque ware, a film from the atelier and beautiful photos by Ulrike Meutzner offer a glimpse into the production of the pieces at the Linck Ceramics studio today.

I left the museum with a beautiful limited edition Linck vase, a book and a running list of Linck pieces I want in my collection — the ceramics look best arranged in groups, after all! Also, the visit reignited a desire to be back behind the pottery wheel to play with clay myself.