The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

Free Form Fruit Bowl

Free Form Fruit Bowl

1955
(American, Cleveland, 1913–2000)
America, Ohio, Cleveland
silver
Overall: 16.6 x 26.8 x 21 cm (6 9/16 x 10 9/16 x 8 1/4 in.)
Silver Jubilee Treasure Fund 1956.116
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Fred Miller made this bowl by hand from a single disc of silver.

Description

Frederick Miller was an exceptional silversmith who reintroduced the look, if not the technique, of hand-wrought fabrication to an industry that had fully mechanized its production by the 1950s. His work was often raised from a single disc of silver, beaten until stretched into a biomorphic or free form shape, such as in this fruit bowl. These unique shapes, gracefully lifted onto ebonized feet, were adapted and standardized by larger silver companies without his permission and became statements of modern design in the home. Designers and critics alike admired his work, but because of its expensive and time-consuming manner of production, Miller never achieved the commercial success of his peers whose designs were made by large manufacturers.
  • Frederick A. Miller Entry Card to 1956 May Show. Cleveland Museum of Art May Show Records, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Johnston, Phillip M. Catalogue of American Silver: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1994. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 108
    Frederick A. Miller collection. Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
  • In Honor of The Cleveland Arts Prize. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 13, 2010-March 13, 2011).
    The Cleveland Museum of Art (06/13/2010 - 11/4/2010): "In Honor of the Cleveland Arts Prize"
    Modernism in American Silver: 20th-Century Design. Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC (September 16, 2005-January 22, 2006); Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV (February 18-May 14, 2006); The Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX (organizer) (June 18-September 24, 2006); The Wolfsonian - Florida International University, Miami, FL (November 17, 2006-March 25, 2007); The Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, TN (April 22-July 15, 2007).
    Dallas Museum of Art (organizer). Renwick Gallery of the National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC (9/16/2005 - 1/22/2006), Nevada Art Museum (2/2006 - 5/2006), Dallas Art Museum, TX (6/2006 - 9/2006), The Wolfsonian - Florida International University (11/2006 - 3/2007), and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, TN (4/22/2007 - 7/15/2007)
    Bringing Modernism Home: Ohio Decorative Arts, 1890-1960. Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH (organizer) (January 28-April 17, 2005).
    Columbus Museum of Art (1/28/2005 - 4/17/2005): "Bringing Modernism Home, Ohio Decorative Arts, 1890-1960", ex. cat. no. 66, p. 134.
    Fine Arts Award Exhibition: Frederick A. Miller. The Women's City Club of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 25-April 25, 1968).
    Work of Frederick A. Miller. Museum of Arts and Design, New York, NY (organizer) (February 17-March 5, 1961).
    The May Show: 38th Annual Exhibition of Works by Cleveland Artists and Craftsmen. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 2-June 10, 1956).
  • {{cite web|title=Free Form Fruit Bowl|url=false|author=Frederick A. Miller|year=1955|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1956.116