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Autio, Rudy
| Last Name: | Autio |
|---|---|
| First Name: | Rudy |
| Dates: |
2007 (Date of Death)
*1926 (Date of Birth)
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| Biography/History: | Rudy Autio was born on October 8, 1926 in Butte, MT to Finnish immigrants, and he passed away at 80 years old at home in Missoula, MT, June 20, 2007 after 2 ½ years treatment for leukemia. He grew up in Butte, Montana and early influences were the WPA art classes offered to him when he was 9 years old. He went to Montana State College to study architecture but quickly transferred his major to Art, where he took every class available to him taught by Frances Senska, a ceramics teacher at the college. After finishing his BS in Applied Art at Montana State College he became one of the founding resident artists, along with Peter Voulkos (a lifetime friend), at the Archie Bray Ceramics Foundation in Helena, MT. He received his graduate degree at Washington State University. He taught ceramics at the University of Montana in Missoula from 1957 to 1984, after that becoming Professor Emeritus of Art at the University of Montana in Missoula. He is best known for figurative ceramic vessels but has also been commissioned for ceramic relief and tile murals as well as bronze, concrete, glass, fabricated metal sculpture, and Rya tapestries. He has been called the “Matisse of Ceramics” for his vivid color palette and masterful designs. |
| Related Objects: |
4113.1 (Vessel, Vessel, 1961)
4234.2 (Vessel, Hellgate Appaloosa, 1984)
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