Peter Shire: Naked Is the Best Disguise is a survey of Los Angeles–based artist Peter Shire’s work in design from the 1970s to the present, consisting of ceramics, furniture, and a small selection of works on paper. A key figure in Southern California’s postwar “post-pottery” ceramics movement, Shire rose to prominence in the 1980s as a member of Memphis, the Milan-based design collective. He is perhaps best known for his signature splatter-painted mugs and handcrafted earthenware produced under the name Echo Park Pottery. Peter Shire: Naked Is the Best Disguise features tables, lamps, and chairs—including Shire’s celebrated Bel Air Chair (1981)—alongside a selection of drawings providing insight into the artist’s design process. The exhibition also includes more than twenty examples of the artist’s touchstone form: the teapot.

Curator: Anna Katz

Lead support for MOCA Pacific Design Center is provided by Charles S. Cohen.

Exhibitions at MOCA are supported by the MOCA Fund for Exhibitions with lead annual support provided by Delta Air Lines, and Sydney Holland, founder of the Sydney D. Holland Foundation. Generous funding is also provided by Allison and Larry Berg, and Jerri and Dr. Steven Nagelberg.