Red Ceramic Clock

George Nelson, 1953

Around 1950, Americans had a deeply rooted conviction in uninterrupted progress and never-ending economic prosperity. Nothing seemed to be impossible and everyone wanted to be modern. George Nelson designed a range of products offering a new and unconventional interpretation of such everyday items as lamps, wall clocks and other domestic accessories. Up to the 1970s Nelson‘s New York design office created a wide range of models. These included the „bubble lamp“ and the „ball clock“ – items that have been promoted as icons of 1950s design.

With the Ceramic Clocks, the first thing that catches the eye is their playful design and their shape. These table clocks have a somewhat geometric yet organic look about them that is evocative of sculptures by artists such as Constantin Brancusi or Isamu Noguchi. The clock cases are entirely made of glazed ceramics. The colours used, and the design of the clock faces in particular, leave us in no doubt as to their functional purpose.

The Ceramic Clocks were designed in the early 1950s and developed as far as the production stage. For reasons unknown, however, they never made it to the production line. Based on the original plans and prototypes, the Vitra Design Museum is now, for the first time ever, bringing these original quartz movement clocks to the market.

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