Lucie Rie: Modernist Potter

by Emmanuel Cooper

Lucie Rie (1902-1995), one of the 20th century's most celebrated and iconic potters, combined an acute understanding of modernism with the skills of her chosen craft. During the course of her sixty-year career, she continually honed and refined her work, developing new shapes and surface effects that were distinctly her own. Her delicately shaped bowls, bottles, and other vessels reflect her commitment to simplicity and clarity of form, earning her both critical and popular acclaim. This comprehensive biography follows Rie's life and artistic development from her birth into the Austria of the Habsburgs to her studies at the progressive Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna, and finally her years in Britain following her escape in 1938 from Nazi-controlled Austria. Emmanuel Cooper, a distinguished potter who knew Rie, interviewed many of her friends and acquaintances to produce this complete and detailed account of Rie's life and work. The author has been given unrestricted access by the Rie estate to previously unpublished letters and other material, which provide fascinating new insights into her life and work and have allowed him to reevaluate Rie's creative output within the broader context of modernism and the emergence of the studio pottery movement in Britain.

Genres: Biography Memoir, Art

344 pages, Hardcover

Published July 24, 2012

Reviews

[maureen cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucie Rie is an Austrian-born British studio potter (1902-1995) whom I’ve admired greatly. When potters during her time were busy making a living through highly decorative ceramics or art sculptures, Lucie only made utilitarian objects like bowls, vase, and cups. Her vessels were minimalist, austere looking, finely balanced between fragility and strength. A very private potter who rarely accept interviews. I’m glad to have found her latest 2015 biography in the library. A MUST-READ for any aspiring potter!

[Catherine Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently saw an exhibition of Lucie Rie’s work at York Art Gallery . This excellent books charts her professional life alongside her private life which involved fleeing the Nazi occupation of Austria. Beautifully illustrated with photographs of her at work in her studio and her examples of the work she produced over her long life.