Johnson, Robert Bradley

German born potter Frans Wildenhain joined the faculty at the School for American Crafts in 1950 where, along with Hobart Cowles, he helped create the legendary ceramics program. Wildenhain was trained at the Bauhaus with such giants as Josef Albers, Paul Klee, and Lazlo Moholy-Nagy. In addition to more traditional forms of pottery, Wildenhain created large ceramic murals for display in public spaces, such as the wall in the lobby of RIT' s Ingle Auditorium.

Robert Bradley Johnson graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic and moved to Rochester, New York in 1954 to work at Eastman Kodak. He purchased his first Wildenhain pieces from Shop One to furnish his new home, " ... a couple of his lamps, a tea caddy, a few bowls, enough to fill all the corners." That was in 1955. Johnson continued collecting Wildenhain's work, and his collection eventually totaled some 331 pieces, 300 of which he donated to the RIT Art Collection in 2010.1 "RIT Archives Acquires Frans Wildenhain Ceramic Collection," by Marcia Murphy. University News, August 17, 2010.