Vessel

Artist Ron Kent (American, 1931-2018)

Date1999

DimensionsH: 10 in. (25.4 cm); Diam: 16 in. (40.6 cm)

MediumNorfolk Island pine.

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of Barry Friedman, Ltd.

Object number

2002.31

Not on View

Label TextIn 1975 Ron Kent’s wife gave him a small wood lathe. With no previous experience in the process, Kent went on to achieve great success as a master woodturner. By 1997 he had taken an early retirement from his financial profession to concentrate exclusively on woodturning. Kent’s skill allowed him to create wood vessels so delicate that some are translucent in direct light. In the majority of his work, Kent used Norfolk Island pine, a tree found on a small island in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia. The softness of the wood allowed Kent freedom to explore variations in thickness and form.