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Malibu Ceramic Works
Bob Harris, a successful sound technician in the movie industry, purchased a
collection of Malibu Potteries tiles in 1979 before much, if anything, was
known about what today is considered to be one of the most important tile
companies in California's history. Intrigued by his collection and spurred
on by an exhibition of Malibu tile at the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art
Museum in 1980, Harris teamed up with ceramist Jim Sullivan to reproduce the
now famous tiles that were produced on the beach in Malibu from 1926 to
1932.
The new company was named Malibu Ceramic Works, founded in response to a
growing demand for ceramic tiles with designs and colors that reflected the
vitality and brilliance of the 1920s and 1930s when the Malibu Potteries and
other tile manufacturers flourished in Southern California.
Rather than the company attempting to reproduce these famous tiles exactly,
the goal at Malibu Ceramics was to provide architects, designers and their
clients with a striking alternative to what was then offered in tile
showrooms, tiles that reflected the ceramic traditions of California and
provided the finest craftsmanship available at that time.
Over the years the company has specialized in custom work in addition to
offering many of the historic Malibu patterns and designs as well as
standard field tiles and trim shapes. What differentiates Malibu Ceramic
Works from others is that it was the first in the modern era to reproduce
Malibu tiles; and importantly, the company has served as a training ground
for many ceramic artists who are making these tiles today.
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