Marilyn Levine (1935–2005) was a Canadian-born ceramic artist celebrated for extraordinary trompe-l’oeil sculptures that transform clay into seemingly worn leather. She received her M.F.A. in sculpture from UC Berkeley in 1971 and was a visiting professor at University of California, Davis, in 1972. Working amid Northern California’s influential ceramic community, Levine became known for meticulously rendered briefcases, handbags, jackets, boots and other personal objects, often modeled on possessions belonging to friends. Scratches, creases, stitching and signs of wear gave each object an individual history and suggested the presence of its absent owner. Like Richard Shaw and other artists associated with Bay Area ceramics, Levine challenged conventional distinctions between craft, sculpture and illusion. Her nonfunctional objects demonstrated clay’s remarkable capacity for optical deception while bringing intimacy and biography to everyday possessions. Levine moved to Oakland in 1976 and married pioneering ceramic artist Peter Voulkos. Her work is held in major collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and National Gallery of Australia.