Kay Whitcomb, Coffee table in enameled metal, 1970

Kay Whitcomb, signed.

Rectangular coffee table in enameled metal standing on four square legs in black lacquered metal. Enameled tray figuring geometrical colored motifs and writings, white letters indicating “Emaillerie Crahait” are framing other sentences such as “Family of Bettinger”, “Jules Rennoir Director”, Union des coopérations de Lorraine Nancy”.

Work signed and dated in 1970.

Dimensions : H 32 x W 145 x D 31 cm.

Tribute to Crahait enamelware in Charleroi, Belgium, where Kay Whitcomb produced many items. Different mentions such as “Family of Bettinger”, “F104G” refers to many constitutive elements which took part of partnerships, projects and clients of the Crahait enamelware.
Founded in 1925 by Joseph Crahait in Charleroi, on the Goosseries site also called in french “cité des casseroles” (translated word by word :”the pots city”, it’s a figurative way to talk about fails) because of the number of unintentional closing of enameling and metalwork companies. Crahait was one of the enamelwares which lasted the longest, producing many items from enamel decorative panels to planes elements. The company collapsed almost instantly after the petrol crisis of 1974 because of the important fuel oven it used and which made its strenght during the past years. The close is legally pronounced in 1976.

Kay Whitcomb (1921-2015) was an American artist, famous in enameling art. Born in a family of metalsmiths, she wanted to devote her life to crafts. She started to study at Rhode Island School of Design in 1939 and in 1941 she studies enameling and the cloisonné technique. After the Second World War, she began her enamel apprenticeship with Doris Hall, who notably used an industrial liquid base, which influenced the Kay Whitcomb later’s work. She opened her first studio of enameling in Winchester, Massachussets and a year later in 1948, three of her works were juried during the Syracuse Ceramic National.
From the middle of the 1950’s, her career flourished and her work explored diverses subjects and she started to write words, phrases and proverbs on her artworks. She used many techniques and explored unconventional methods of fusing glass and metal. At the end of 1960’s, she experimented enameling on steel in Germany and Belgium. She wanted to share her enamel passion so she taught enameling at La Jolla Art Museum and the San Diego Museum of Art. She juried and curated many exhibitions to make discover enameling techniques to the public. She also exhibited her artworks in Europe and after many efforts she succeeded to have several American enamelists in the International Biennial of Enamel Art in Limoges. She was a famous artist, known for her enameling work but also for her desire to share her passion to everybody.

Sources :

-Christian Joosten, Vincent Vincke, “L’émail blanc du Pays noir” in MIAT, Juin 2016
-Modern San Diego, “Kay Whitcomb”, URL : https://www.modernsandiego.com/people/kay-whitcomb
-The Enamel Arts Foundation, “Kay Whitcomb”, http://www.enamelarts.org/index.php?collection&action=view_artist&artist_id=77