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Undoubtedly the most sought-after modern pottery today is that of Hans Coper (1920-1981) and Lucie Rie (1902-1995). Both had a shared experience of fleeing the Nazis earlier in their lives (1938 and 1939), but it wasn't until after the war that Rie and Coper met in London, whereupon the foundation of their lifelong friendship was forged. Their collaborative efforts date back to 1946, when Coper joined Rie at her Albion Mews workshop near Hyde Park. Though Rie had been an active potter since 1923, it was there that each artist began experimenting with their craft, often drawing upon ancient sculptural traditions for inspiration. Their creations featured in a number of successful exhibitions: most notably, in a group exhibition on English ceramists in 1960, and a joint exhibition of their work in 1967, at the Boymans van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam. Significantly, in 1969, the collection of J.W.N. van Achterbergh was also shown at this venue. Lucie Rie brought to the potter's art a refinement that originated in the Viennese modernist tradition. Between 1922 and 1926, she was taught by Michael Powolny at the Kunstgewerbeschule, the school of arts and crafts in Vienna. Her ceramics were much appreciated by Josef Hoffmann, co-founder of the Wiener Werkstätte, and he gave her the opportunity to show her work in the Palais Stoclet, Brussels, in 1923. Rie's earliest pieces paid homage to Hoffmann's initiative in the harmonious interior, and design took priority over functionalism in her creations. However, with time she began to experiment. Though her forms remained straightforward throughout her life (variations of uncomplicated vessels), her unique glazes became her artistic trademark. By utilizing the technique of applying various glazes to unfired clay, Rie was able to achieve an ancient aesthetic in her contemporary objects. An excellent example can be found in the stoneware bottle featured in Lot 138, whereupon the artist has placed a white felspathic glaze over manganese oxide, resulting in a distinctive pitted effect after a single firing. The German potter-sculptor Hans Coper was also captivated with ancient sculptural traditions of pre-classical times, but where Rie chose to focus her efforts on design, Coper stressed the importance of functionalism. A great admirer of sculptors like Giacometti and Brancusi, Coper created his own vocabulary in clay. Every pot he produced was a functional vessel, and although none of these objects bear titles, they can be grouped into forms such as spades, thistles, hourglasses and dog bones. In addition to his shapes, Coper's white slip also distinguished much of his life's work. The artist's combination of form and texture produced modern pieces that personify ancient artifacts. Coper's stoneware spade form, featured in Lot 195, embodies the contrast of form and surface, as well as the subtleness of dark and light, that provide prehistoric notions found in so much of the artist's work.

Lucie Rie, 1961

A LARGE STONEWARE BOWL

Details

Lucie Rie, 1961
A LARGE STONEWARE BOWL
Internal and external sgraffito leaf design repeated in blues and browns against a greenish brown background
14 cm. high, 27 cm. in diameter

Provenance

Purchased at the exhibition in Museum Boymans-van Beuningen in 1967.

Literature

Tony Birks, Lucie Rie, London, 1987, p. 126.

Exhibited

Rotterdam, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Europese Ceramiek uit de Pottenkijker, 30 March - 26 May 1969, cat. no. 109 (ill.)

Special notice

Christie's charge a premium to the buyer on the final bid price of each lot sold at the following rates: 23.8% of the final bid price of each lot sold up to and including €150,000 and 14.28% of any amount in excess of €150,000. Buyers' premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.

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