Ron Nagle has made stunning, entirely unique small sculptures since the 1960s, producing a body of work that is as original as it is mischievous. He mixes allusions to modernism, middlebrow culture, and the specific pop sensibility of Northern California in exquisitely formed works that are often no bigger than a few inches. This exhibition marks his first survey in the Bay Area in over twenty-five years and features twenty ceramic sculptures on custom pedestals designed by the artist and 15 drawings, mostly ink on paper, from the past two decades of Nagle’s career. The exhibition selection is augmented by more than 100 images of his work presented in the catalogue along with scholarly essays. Ron Nagle: Handsome Drifter is an important exhibition for an artist whose exquisite work deserves to be better known.
Ron Nagle: Handsome Drifter
- Institution
- Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive
- Grant Cycle
- Fall 2018
- Amount
- $75,000
- Type of Grant
- Exhibition Support
![](https://warholfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/27_Sudoku-Seppuku-878x878.jpg)
Sudoku Seppuku, 2019
Ceramic, glaze, catalyzed polyurethane, and epoxy resin
5 ¾ × 5 × 3 ¾ in. (14.6 × 12.7 × 9.5 cm)
Collection of the artist
![](https://warholfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/22_Handsome-Drifter_2015-878x878.jpg)
Handsome Drifter, 2015
Ceramic, glaze, catalyzed polyurethane, and epoxy resin
3 ¾ × 4 × 3 in. (9.5 × 10.2 × 7.6 cm)
Collection of Joachim and Nancy Hellman Bechtle
![](https://warholfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/19_PM-Dom_2013-878x878.jpg)
PM Dom, 2013
Ceramic, glaze, catalyzed polyurethane, epoxy resin, and aluminum
7 × 5 × 4 in. (17.8 × 12.7 × 10.2 cm)
Collection of Rafael de Cardenas
![](https://warholfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/05_The-Bad-Clown_2003-1172x852.jpg)
The Bad Clown, 2003
Porcelain, glaze, china paint, and epoxy resin
4 ¼ × 9 ¼ × 4 in. (10.8 × 23.5 × 10.2 cm)
Dennis Gallagher and Trish Bransten Family Collection
![](https://warholfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/02_Night-of-the-Hunter_1998-878x878.jpg)
Night of the Hunter, 1998
From the Thin Fins series
Ceramic, glaze, underglaze, china paint, and epoxy resin
4 × 5 ¼ × 2 in. (10.2 × 13.3 × 5.1 cm)
Collection of Richard E. Goldman
1969
Andy Warhol launches Interview magazine.