Prestini Turned Wood Bowl,
Stamped, 12" x 1.5"
Price upon request
James Prestini, 1908-1993
A sculptor, designer and teacher, James Prestini is renowned for his
beautifully elegant turned wood objects that he created in the thirties
and forties. These elegant works were thin walled vessels that were fine
art that gave the appearance of having practical use.
As a teacher at UC Berkeley, James Prestini taught generations
of architecture and city planning students throughout his thirty years
of tenure. Prestini was born in 1908 in Waterford, Connecticut, and
received a
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yale in 1930.
Already steeped in art and industrial design,
he continued his studies at the University of Stockholm and
eventually landed a teaching job at the acclaimed Institute of Design
(known in art circles as the I.D.) in Chicago in the 1940's.
After several other teaching stints in the United States,
Prestini went to Italy to study sculpture for three years. It was from
Italy that Wurster summoned him to teach at Berkeley.
James Prestini was honored by many awards and prizes. He is best
known as the father of wood turning art, and his wood pieces are
extremely rare and sought after. They appear in many major collection,
including the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, the San Francisco
Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Smithsonian
Institution.
