James Prestini

United States, 1908–1993

Place of BirthWaterford, Connecticut, United States

Place of DeathBerkeley, California, United States

BiographyAmerican designer James Prestini was a strong advocate of form. As an instructor at the Institute of Design in Chicago, Prestini taught form through turning. His love of form was further strengthened by the pure designs of the German Bauhaus school. His favorite forms were the platters and bowls, although he also experimented with bracelets and cups. Prestini's work is characterized for its pure form and thinness, which he achieved through turning and scraping techniques. In 1939, he became a woodworking instructor at the Institute of Design at the Illinois Institute of Technology (founded as the New Bauhaus) where he learned woodturning under the tutelage of Bauhaus artist László Moholy-Nagy. Prestini was a Professor of Design at the University of California, Berkeley for almost 20 years and an influential figure in contemporary woodturning.
Education: B.S., Yale University, 1930