Bennett Bean

Who is Bennett Bean?

Bennett Bean is an American ceramic artist. Although commonly described as a studio potter, some would characterize him as a sculptor and painter who works primarily in studio pottery.

Bean resides in Blairstown, New Jersey.

Bean is best known for his pit-fired white earthenware vessels, especially his collectible, non-functional bowls and teapots. His influences have included Japanese pottery, Native American pottery, English pottery in the tradition of Bernard Leach, and modern American pottery, including the work of George Ohr.

Bean was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on March 25, 1941. Bean's father, a medical doctor, was serving in the army at the time of his birth, and went on to become the head of the Department of Internal Medicine at the State University of Iowa in 1949. From that point on, Bean grew up in Iowa City, Iowa. He attended Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, but transferred to University of Iowa to pursue his art studies. At the University of Iowa, Bean studied both drawing and painting, but he was drawn to the ceramics department, seduced by the technique of throwing and attracted by the university's ceramics faculty. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963.