Eating Man Teapot, 1996

Wesley Angeregg

porcelain, wire, plastic

11" H x 8" W x 5.5" D

Looking for something unconventional and animated? Guaranteed to raise eyebrows and turn heads, this sculpture by Wesley Angeregg is perfect for you. With arms raised and mouth agape, the figure holds a fly swatter in one hand and is desperately trying to swat away a small swarm of flies around their head. Well known to create many other sculptures with the same uncanny characteristics, Anderegg enjoys depicting strange, entertaining, and serious scenes in his work. In many ways, this piece is not only a unique addition to one's collection, but will provoke the imagination and stir up some interesting conversations.

Artist Statement

I watch what people do and imagine what they might like to do. Life and society are such that we cannot always say and do what we like. However, in the imaginary world in which my ceramic people live, they can. At the dawn of mankind primitive peoples fashioned clay objects. They sculpted about what they knew and wanted. Pregnant women and animals were the hot topics of the day. I think of my work much the same way. Though the topics may be different I feel a link to those old people sitting around playing with this beautifully plastic material.

Artist Biography

Wesley Anderegg was born in Phoenix Arizona in 1958. He earned a BS degree in geography from Arizona State University, where he began his education in ceramics. Subsequently, he studied ceramics at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado and at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana. He was a resident artist at both places.

He sculpts clay figures that are both frightening and humorous, based on a lifetime of watching and listening to people. His earthenware pieces and figural groups suggest an imaginary narrative that often conveys his social and political concerns. His art comments on issues such as pollution, the degradation of the environment, and the role of government in our everyday lives.

His work is included in numerous public collections such as Smithsonian American Art Museum Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC; Montgomery Museum of Art, Montgomery, AL; Fredrick R. Wiesman Museum, Minneapolis, MN; Archie Bray Foundation, Helena, MT; the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, CA; and Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, AZ

Donated by the Grainer Family

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