Rudy Autio

American, (1926–2007)

An important figure in abstract expressionist ceramics, Rudy Autio is unusual in that he never abandoned the depiction of the human figure. Along with Peter Voulkos, he was a founding resident of the Archie Bray Ceramics Foundation in Helena, Montana, and remained its resident artist from 1952 to 1957. In 1957, he founded the ceramics department at the University of Montana in Missoula. Autio remained in Montana, becoming a vital figure in the region’s ceramic activity. He, along with Frances Senska, fostered a rich ceramic tradition throughout the state.