A historic hillside residence in Los Angeles where late husband-and-wife team, Gertrud and Otto Natzler, became two of the most celebrated ceramicists of the 20th century has just hit the market for $2.47 million.
After emigrating to the U.S. from Vienna in 1938 when Austria fell to Nazi Germany, Gertrud became well known for “throwing forms with impossibly thin walls and exquisite silhouettes,” while Otto was hard at work perfecting glazes “through rigorous chemistry, innovation, and near-scientific precision.”
They lived in their California home for decades, creating more than 25,000 pieces and developing over 2,000 glazes, some of which can now be found in museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Their first potter’s wheel and kiln that was retired in 1982 is even housed in the Smithsonian Institution.
“In light-filled rooms overlooking treetops and canyons, Gertrud threw delicate forms on the wheel they brought from Austria while Otto developed the groundbreaking glazes that defined their partnership,” the listing notes.
Today, the artists are still regarded as both pioneers and icons of the West Coast studio ceramic craft movement.
Offered for the first time in eight decades, their three-bedroom retreat still features a relatively untouched studio above the garage that has been preserved since Otto’s death in 2007.
The work studio, where Gertrud and Otto produced thousands of ceramic vessels, features a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom that could be transformed into guest accommodations.
“The idea that the home is a piece of art or canvas to express yourself, this home certainly feels that way,” says listing agent Barry Gray, of Compass.
“It is also incredibly rare to have a house like this become available that hasn’t been on the market in 80 years. There is so much of the Natzlers’ life still in that house.”
Gertrud died in 1971, and Otto later went on to marry photographer Gail Reynolds, who died earlier this spring. Together, Otto and his second spouse expanded the dwelling to incorporate elements inspired by his home country.
That expansion included “a studio and darkroom below and a vaulted primary suite above, both with wraparound balconies and canyon views,” the listing explains.
“With his new wife, they built on an addition in 1988 that looks like a chalet, as a nod to his roots in Austria,” Gray adds. “When Gail passed away, there were thousands of pieces of ceramic still in the house, but all of it has been taken out by an art dealer, and they are now in storage.”
Built in 1937, the charming residence still boasts many original features, including a kitchen with ceramic tiles glazed by Otto. Gertrud and Otto shared the primary bedroom here and the secondary bedroom later served as Otto’s office.
Designed by architect Alfred T. Wilkes as a complement to the original home, the two-story addition houses a newer primary suite that Gail and Otto shared with vaulted ceilings, oversized windows, and wraparound balconies to soak in the canyon views. The structure also became Gail’s dedicated photographic studio and darkroom found on the lower level.
Interestingly enough, the Natzler residence not only served as a workshop, but later became a “creative salon” where violinist Jascha Heifetz, architecture photographer Julius Shulman, fashion icon Rudi Gernreich, actor Henry Fonda, painter Millard Sheets, and other gallerists and ceramicists frequented for chamber music gatherings and cultural collaboration.
Because the Natzlers were responsible for “turning ceramic into an art form” here, Gray says the residence still feels very much like an artist’s home.
“With the original detached studio above the garage, it feels almost like you are stepping back in time,” he explains. “Because of the multiple workspaces yet each space feeling individual, the home would be ideal for a creative artist.”
Gray also believes the property that abuts the Briar Summit Open Space Reserve will likely be used as a primary residence for the next buyer.
“It’s in a very desirable area in Upper Nichols Canyon off of Mulholland Drive, which is a very popular area with celebrities,” he added. “It also has good access to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Studio City.”
