California Tile

The Golden Era: 1910-1940

For centuries hand-crafted tiles have been a predominant decorative surface throughout the world, from the Middle East and Europe through North Africa, to Mexico and the West Coast of the United States.

In California the tile makers excelled in their craft, producing richly patterned tiles for building, facades, interiors, gardens, furniture and even for the table. By collecting together hundreds of works from dozens of tiny local producers, this exhibition revealed the variety and artistry of California Tile in a way never before appreciated.

The heyday of California Tile lasted a mere thirty years before the depression and the advent of World War II wiped out this extraordinary flowering of West Coast creativity. The two volume catalogue of the exhibition produced by the California Heritage Museum stands as the definitive guide to this fascinating period in the decorative arts.