The Creative Legacy of Gertrud and Otto Natzler

“Gertrud at the wheel; Otto at the kiln.”

Overview
Gertrud and Otto Natzler are among the most influential ceramicists of the 20th century, celebrated for their unparalleled collaboration and technical mastery. After emigrating from Vienna in 1938, they made Los Angeles their creative home, producing more than 25,000 vessels and over 2,000 glazes — each recorded meticulously by Otto in handwritten notebooks.

A Partnership in Craft
Gertrud was renowned for her impossibly thin, impeccably thrown forms — vessels so light and refined that her fingerprints sometimes remained visible beneath the glaze. Otto complemented her artistry with extraordinary glaze chemistry. His surfaces ranged from volcanic textures to iridescent crystalline finishes, from deep matte blacks to luminous blues and ochres.

Together, their work demonstrated a balance of form and surface rarely achieved at such consistency and scale.

Global Recognition
The Natzlers’ work is held in major institutions worldwide, including:
• Smithsonian Institution (home to their first potter’s wheel and kiln)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• The Victoria & Albert Museum
• The de Young Museum
• Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Collectors and scholars continue to study Otto’s glaze formulas, many of which remain unmatched.

Unless otherwise noted, photos by Gail Reynolds Natzler, Hella Hammid, Alexander Hammid and Dorothy Hoffman