104 - Otto Meier (1903–1996)

Otto Meier (1903–1996) Untitled Covered bowl Glazed porcelain Circa 1970 H 9, W 18 cm Otto Meier, born in 1903, was a leading figure in modern German ceramics. Often described as the “silent master of the 20th century,” he began his artistic career in 1924 by studying architecture at the *Kunstgewerbeschule* (School of Applied Arts) in Dortmund. The following year, during a visit to Worpswede to see Bernhard Hoetger—an artist recognized then, as he is today, as a sculptor, painter, architect, and craftsman—he discovered his calling for ceramics. He completed a brief apprenticeship there before his master, Willi Ohler, left; Meier, however, remained to continue his training in this field, eventually taking over as director of the ceramics studio at Hoetger’s *Kunsthütten*. He subsequently worked in various studios and spent three semesters perfecting his glazing techniques at the Bunzlau School of Ceramics, until the outbreak of World War II in 1939 interrupted his work. By the end of the war, Meier’s studio, then located on Böttcherstraße, was nothing more than a pile of rubble. He then moved to Worpswede, where he spent the rest of his life, and in 1950 married Giselda Harwart, a local weaver. In 1988, he joined *Gruppe 83*, an association of German ceramic artists. Over time, Meier’s designs became increasingly minimalist: he moved away from the Hoetger-inspired forms characteristic of his early work to adopt more refined and simple lines, thus allowing the object’s form and glaze to take center stage. His pieces, with their rounded, delicate shapes and slender necks, have left a lasting mark on the field of ceramics, not only in Germany but also within the broader cultural landscape of the 20th century.