Dan McCarthy
(Born) | 1962 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA |
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(Based) | Brooklyn, NY, USA |

McCarthy’s ceramics are intentionally low-tech, simple and direct. His tools are minimal, ice lolly sticks, forks, spoons – with a process that favours touch; and what drives him is the emotionally intuitive handling of wet, heavy clay that is constantly in a state of drying out, instinctively working this material into shapes with a ‘sense of immediacy and buoyant spirit’. His approach employs multiple glaze firings that bring to life gold and silver leaf, gold and silver lustre, and rainbow-coloured oil and water-based paint. The results are often vivid and scintillating. His playful works take the form of smiley-faced individual portraits – a series that he fittingly calls ‘Facepots’. It’s hard not to wonder if these cheery vessels have a darker undertone, one that points towards modes of vacuous consumerism that keep us smiling and jolly but, ultimately, hollow and empty. As brightly coloured, unstable glazes crackle and run, these objects could be seen as symbols of a dysfunctional veneer of happiness that doesn’t penetrate quite as deeply as we’d hope.
Recent solos shows were held at Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, CO USA; rodolphe janssen, Knokke, Belgium; Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY USA; Venus over Los Angeles (Los Angeles); Anton Kern Gallery, New York, NY USA; Shoot the Lobster, New York, NY USA and Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve, Paris, France. Recent Group shows include 100 Sculptures, Anonymous Gallery, New York, NY USA; Can’t Wait To Meet You, This Is Primary, Miami, FL USA; Demons, Spirits and Other Creatures, Daniel Blau Gallery, Munich, Germany; Show 1, Airfield Gallery, Kingston, New York, NY USA; Pacific Coast Ceramics, Galeria Mascota, Aspen, CO USA; 6 Foot, Hot and Glassy, Tripoli Gallery, Wainscott, NY USA; The Essential Goods, Fisher Parrish Gallery, Brooklyn, NY USA; Pageant of Inconceivables, Kleinert/James Center for the Arts, Byrd cliffe, Woodstock, NY USA and Summer Trip, Tripoli Gallery of Contemporary Art, Southampton, NY USA.
His work is part of public collection such as ICA, Miami, FL USA; Aïshti Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY USA; The Dakis Joannou Collection, Athens, Greece and Musee d’Arte Moderne de Paris, Paris, France.
Images
(43)-
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Year) 2023 (Gallery) rodolphe janssen (Location) Brussels, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Tomato Gumdrop (Year) 2022 (medium) Clay, glaze & silver lustre (Dimensions) 55.9 x 37.46 x 48.26 cm
22 x 14 3/4 x 19 in(Reference) DMcC056 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Sea Dweller (Year) 2022 (medium) Clay, glaze, gold & silver lustre (Dimensions) 50.8 x 45.72 x 36.06 cm
20 x 18 x 14 1/4 in(Reference) DMcC053 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Year) 2023 (Gallery) rodolphe janssen (Location) Brussels, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Year) 2023 (Gallery) rodolphe janssen (Location) Brussels, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Year) 2023 (Gallery) rodolphe janssen (Location) Brussels, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Year) 2023 (Gallery) rodolphe janssen (Location) Brussels, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Zig Zag (Year) 2022 (medium) Water based paint on primed canvas (Dimensions) 91.44 x 76.2 x 3.8 cm
36 x 30 x 1 1/2 in(Reference) DMcC041 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Full House (Year) 2022 (medium) Water based paint on primed canvas (Dimensions) 91.44 x 76.2 x 3.8 cm
36 x 30 x 1 1/2 in(Reference) DMcC044 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Year) 2023 (Gallery) rodolphe janssen (Location) Brussels, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Year) 2023 (Gallery) rodolphe janssen (Location) Brussels, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Stove Pipe (Year) 2022 (medium) Clay, glaze, gold & silver lustre (Dimensions) 57.15 x 36.19 x 43.18 cm
22 1/2 x 14 1/4 x 17 in(Reference) DMcC055 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Speckled Sundae (Year) 2022 (medium) Clay, glaze, gold & silver lustre (Dimensions) 53.34 x 38.1 x 41.91 cm
21 x 15 x 16 1/2 in(Reference) DMcC054 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Ox Blood (Year) 2022 (medium) Clay & glaze (Dimensions) 53.34 x 38.1 x 43.18 cm
21 x 15 x 17 in
(Reference) DMcC050 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Year) 2023 (Gallery) rodolphe janssen (Location) Brussels, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Year) 2023 (Gallery) rodolphe janssen (Location) Brussels, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) High Stepper (Year) 2022 (medium) Clay, glaze, gold & silver lustre (Dimensions) 48.64 x 37.59 x 42.54 cm
19 1/8 x 14 3/4 x 16 3/4 in
(Reference) DMcC048 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Untitled Facepot #44 (Year) 2013 (medium) Low fire clay and glazes (Dimensions) 40.6 x 24.1 cm;
16 x 9 1/2 in -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Space Ghost #12 (Year) 2014 (medium) Low fire clay with glaze and paint (Dimensions) 26.7 x 20.3 x 3.8 cm;
10 1/2 x 8 x 1 1/2 in(Reference) DMcC003 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Space Ghost #17 (Year) 2014 (medium) Low fire clay with glaze and paint (Dimensions) 35.6 x 33 x 3.8 cm;
14 x 13 x 1 1/2 in(Reference) DMcC002 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Space Ghost #15 (Year) 2014 (medium) Low fire clay with glaze and paint (Dimensions) 41.9 x 35.6 x 3.8 cm;
16 1/2 x 14 x 1 1/2 in(Reference) DMcC001 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) 1975 Little Cortez (Year) 2014 (medium) Acrylic on marbleized gesso on shaped canvas stretchers (Dimensions) 124.5 x 86.4 cm;
49 x 34 in -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) 1969 Long Beach Light (Year) 2014 (medium) Acrylic on marbleized gesso on shaped canvas stretcher (Dimensions) 44.5 x 83.8 cm;
17 1/2 x 33 in -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) X Ray Spex (Year) 2015 (medium) Low fire clay and glazes, enamel paint with gold and silver leaf (Dimensions) 64.1 x 21.6 x 21.6 cm;
25 1/4 x 8 1/2 x 8 1/2 in -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Me Me Me (Year) 2015 (medium) Oil, enamel, collage, lascaux, gesso on shaped canvas stretcher (Dimensions) 182.9 x 106.7 cm;
72 x 42 in -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Coal Miner (Year) 2016 (medium) Low fire clay & glazes with gold lustre (Dimensions) 47 x 34.9 cm;
18 1/2 x 13 3/4 in(Reference) DMcC012 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Untitled # 1 Lidded Rainbow Facepot (Year) 2016 (medium) Low fire clay & glazes with Lascaux gesso & paint with silver and gold lustre (Dimensions) 59.7 x 33.3 cm 23 1/2 x 13 1/8 in (Reference) DMcC011 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Zinc Oxide, (Year) 2016 (medium) Low fire clay and glazes with silver lustre (Dimensions) 69.8 x 36.8 cm;
27 1/2 x 14 1/2 in(Reference) DMcC018 -
(Exhibition) Made in Oven – in collaboration with Thierry Boutemy (Year) 2016 (Gallery) rodolphe janssen (Location) Brussels, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Brussels Pipe Smoker (Year) 2016 (medium) Low fire clay & glazes with enamel paint with silver and gold lustre (Dimensions) 53.3 x 37.5 cm;
21 x 14 3/4 in(Reference) DMcC013 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Dakota Pipe Smoker (Year) 2016 (medium) Low fire clay & glazes with enamel paint with silver and gold lustre (Dimensions) 55.9 x 36.8 cm;
22 x 14 1/2 in(Reference) DMcC014 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Sun Shine (Year) 2016 (medium) Low fire clay & glazes with silver lustre (Dimensions) 76.2 x 39.4 cm;
30 x 15 1/2 in -
(Exhibition) Made in Oven – in collaboration with Thierry Boutemy (Year) 2016 (Gallery) rodolphe janssen (Location) Brussels, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) All Saints (Year) 2016 (medium) Low fire clay & glazes with Lascaux gesso & paint and gold leaf (Dimensions) 71 x 48.3 cm;
28 x 19 1/8 in(Reference) DMcC020 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Chromelux (Year) 2016 (medium) Low fire clay & glazes with gold lustre (Dimensions) Two parts with removable lid 72.4 x 39.3 cm;
28 1/2 x 15 1/2 in Displayed on Oak Base Oak Base Dimensions: 91.44 x 60.96 x 50.8 cm;
36 x 24 x 20 in(Reference) DMcC031 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Exhibition) Rainbow paintings & ceramics (Year) 2021 (Institution) rodolphe janssen (Location) Knokke, Belgium -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Pistachio (Year) 2021 (medium) Clay, glazes with gold and silver lustre (Dimensions) Two parts with removable lid 72.12 x 43.18 cm;
28 x 17 in Displayed on Oak Base Oak Base Dimensions: 91.44 x 60.96 x 50.8 cm;
36 x 24 x 20 in(Reference) DMcC033 -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Fir Mist BirdPot (Year) 2021 (medium) Clay, glazes with gold and silver lustre Signed in lustre on the interior (Dimensions) 20 x 12 x 14 in -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Exhibition) Birdpots (Year) 2022 (Institution) Baldwin Gallery (Location) Aspen, CO USA -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Band Camp BirdPot (Year) 2021 (medium) Clay, glazes with gold and silver lustre Signed in lustre on the interior (Dimensions) 22 x 12 x 14 in -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Exhibition) Birdpots (Year) 2022 (Institution) Baldwin Gallery (Location) Aspen, CO USA -
(Artist) Dan McCarthy (Title) Mustard Seed (Year) 2022 (medium) Clay, glaze, silver lustre and silver leaf (Dimensions) 55.88 x 42.54 x 35.56 cm;
22 x 16 3/4 x 14 in(Reference) DMcC038