Right from the outset, the American artist Betty Woodman (b. 1930) has used ceramics as her medium of expression and artistic research, and it has made her one of the most influential and original voices on the international art scene.

Bridging the gap between art and craft, Woodman moves nimbly between the traditions of an age-old medium, taking inspiration from numerous sources, including Minoan and Egyptian art, Greek and Etruscan sculpture, Tang Dynasty works, majolica and Sèvres porcelain, Italian Baroque architecture, and the paintings of Bonnard, Picasso and Matisse, while also introducing innovations in terms not only of style but also of technique. In particular, her way of combining ceramics and painting shows a painterly sensibility that in recent years has played a key role in the development of her work.

Published in conjunction with a series of exhibitions – curated by Vincenzo de Bellis and hosted by the Marino Marini Museum in Florence and the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, this publication focuses on the work that Woodman has created over the past ten years, while taking stock – in a series of essays written by Vincenzo de Bellis, Suzanne Hudson, Stuart Krimko and Katharine Stout – of her continued relevance to contemporary art and her importance among post-war artists.