Viktor Schreckengost
Biography
The son of a commercial potter in Sebring, Ohio, Viktor Schreckengost learned the craft of sculpting in clay from his father. In the mid-1920s, he enrolled at the Cleveland School of Art (now the Cleveland Institute of Art, or CIA) to study cartoon making, but after seeing an exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art, he changed his focus to ceramics. Upon graduation in 1929, he studied ceramics in Vienna, Austria, where he began to build a reputation, not only for his art, but also as a jazz saxophonist.
A year later, at the age of 25, he became the youngest faculty member at the CIA. In 1931, Schreckengost won the first of several awards for excellence in ceramics at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and his works were exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, and elsewhere.
By the mid-1930s, Viktor had started to pursue his interest in industrial design. For American Limoges, he created the first modern mass-produced dinnerware called Americana. Along with engineer Ray Spiller, Schreckengost designed the first-cab-over-engine truck for Cleveland’s White Motor Company.
By the end of the decade, Viktor became the chief bicycle designer for Murray-Ohio, a position held formerly by the famous Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky. In 1939, he released his first design, the Mercury Bicycle, which was displayed along with four of his sculptures (The Four Elements) at the New York World’s Fair. In the early 1940s, Viktor began quietly revolutionizing the manufacture of children’s pedal cars as well.
World War II interrupted his design and ceramic work when he joined the US Navy. His talents were soon recognized, and he was recruited to develop a system for radar recognition that won him the Secretary of Navy’s commendation.
After the war, Schreckengost resumed his industrial design career creating products for Murray, Sears, General Electric, Salem China Company, and Harris Printing, among others. Approximately 100 million of his bicycles and pedal cars were manufactured by Murray, which made it the largest bicycle-maker in the world.
He retired from industrial design in 1972, but continued teaching at the Cleveland Institute of Art. Today, he is Professor Emeritus at the institute and continues to follow the progress of his former students and help where he can on campus.
Awards
Accademia Bedriacense, Calvatone, Italy 1984, Diploma di Maestro
Accademia Italia delle Arti e del Lavoro, Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy 1980, Member
American Ceramic Society, Westerville, Ohio 1962, Design Division Award, Outstanding Contribution to the Ceramic Arts 1982, Honorary Life Membership
American Institute of Architects, New York 1958, Gold Medal, Ceramic Architectural Sculpture
American Institute of Graphic Arts, New York 1950, Certificate of Excellence
American Watercolor Society, New York 1955, Grumbacher Purchase Prize 1962, 1964, Rudolf Lesch Purchase Prize 1963, Lena Newcastle Purchase Prize
Architectural League of New York 1955, Architectural Sculpture Award
Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio, Annual Exhibition 1948, First Award and Purchase (sculpture) 1950, First Award and Purchase (pottery) 1966, Purchase (Watercolor)
Cleveland Arts Prize, Visual Arts, 1973
International Institute of Arts and Letters, Lindau, Germany 1958, Fellow
Cleveland Museum of Art, May Show 1929, Third Prize (batik) 1931, First (pottery) 1932, Special Award, Outstanding Excellence (pottery); Third (sculpture) 1934, First (pottery); Honorable Mention (mural and decorative painting) 1936, First (pottery) 1937, Special Award (pottery); First (sculpture) 1938, Special Award (sculpture); First (pottery) 1939, First (sculpture) 1940, Second (sculpture) 1941, Third (sculpture) 1942, Second (sculpture) 1943, First (sculpture) 1946, Honorable Mention (watercolor) 1947, First (sculpture); First (pottery); Third (watercolor) 1948, Special Award (sculpture); Special Award (pottery); Honorable Mention (watercolor) 1949, First (sculpture); Third (watercolor) 1950, Special Award (sculpture); Special Award (watercolor); Third (pottery) 1951, First (pottery); Second (sculpture); Honorable Mention (watercolor) 1952, Special Award (pottery); First (sculpture); Third (watercolor, mural and decorative painting) 1953, Third (pottery); Honorable Mention (watercolor) 1954, Honorable Mention (pottery, sculpture, watercolor) 1955, Special Award (sculpture); First (pottery); Honorable Mention (watercolor) 1956, Third (pottery), Honorable Mention (watercolor); Honorable Mention (sculpture) 1957, Honorable Mention (watercolor) 1958, Honorable Mention (freehand drawing)
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia 1938, Award of Merit (sculpture); Annual Exhibition
Philadelphia Art Alliance 1940, Certificate of Honor, Finest Piece of Sculpture, Contemporary Handcraft Exhibition
State of Ohio 2000, Governor’s Award for the Arts
Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, Ceramic National Exhibition 1938, First (sculpture) 1941, Honorable Mention (sculpture) 1947, Hall Award (ceramics) 1948, Vitro Award (ceramics) 1950, Drakenfield Award (ceramics) 1951, IBM Award (sculpture) 1951, First (architectural sculpture) 1951, Citation, Syracuse Museum and American Ceramic Society 1954, First, Syracuse Museum and American Ceramic Society; Third (architectural and ceramic sculpture)
United States Navy 1962, Companion of the Order
McKinley High School, Sebring 1993, Distinguished Alumni Award
New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University; American Ceramic Society 1939, Charles Fergus Binns Medal, Outstanding Contribution to the Ceramics Field
Universitá dell’Arti, Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy 1982, Diploma di Merito
Women’s City Club, Cleveland, Ohio 1973, Fine Arts Award (visual arts)
Photo Gallery
Licensing
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