Discovering Lucie Rie Pottery
In the 1920’s and ’30s, Austrian-British potter Lucie Rie (1902–1995) rose to acclaim for her fine and elegant ceramics. A dramatic contrast to the rustic British pottery of the day produced by the likes of Bernard Leach, her work was distinguished by its Modernist forms in beautiful soft hues or exquisite jewel colours. Highly sought after and rare in Australia, Lucie Rie Pottery is consistently a collector favourite.
A Potter’s Life
Born in Vienna in 1902, Rie took an interest in ceramics at young age, studying pottery at the Vienna School of the Applied Arts (Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule) under renowned sculptor and ceramicist, Michael Powolny. She was exhibiting by her 20’s, and in 1937 won a silver medal at the Paris International Exhibition.
The daughter of a Jewish doctor, Rie emigrated to London in 1938 in order to escape Nazi Germany. She established a small studio in Paddington, where she produced pots as well as ceramic buttons and jewellery. She was joined by another artist, Hans Coper, who later became her studio partner.
Rie taught ceramics at the Camberwell School of Art from 1960 until 1971. In 1968 she was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and in 1991 she was honoured with the title of Dame Commander (DCE). She continued to work well into her eighties, leaving behind an extraordinary body of work that has influenced generations of potters.
Distinguishing Lucie Rie Pottery
Rie’s pottery is distinguished by its mid-century aesthetic and robust yet slender forms. Her work stood out in Britain at a time when studio pottery was typified by the rustic, earthy works of Bernard Leach, the leading English ceramicist of the day. While initially disparaging, Leach grew to admire Rie’s work, and the pair became good friends.
Rie crafted a range of objects including jugs and tea sets but she is best known for her fine footed bowls and flared neck bottles. Working in both porcelain and stoneware, she would apply glaze to the unfired body then fire each object once. The initial tableware she produced was in muted tones and sparsely decorated, but as her expertise grew, she introduced subtle designs including fine lines and spirals. Another common trait was the use of manganese dioxide on edging, producing distinctive dark, metallic lips.
David Attenborough was another of Rie’s friends and admirers, and in 1982 he interviewed her for the BBC, the video providing a wonderful insight into her studio practice.
Collecting Lucie Rie Ceramics
Lucie Rie ceramics are highly sought after for their timeless design and exceptional artistry. Her works are held in museums including the Metropolitain Museum of Art in New York, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, and the British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Rie works can sometimes be acquired for hundreds of dollars, but they have also gone for extraordinary sums. Just last November, Philipps auctioned a 1981 Footed Bowl with pink radiating lines and a turquoise band (pictured at right) for £330,200, from an estimate of £50,000-70,000.
It surpassed previous results including a circa 1978 Flaring Footed Bowl in white glaze (pictured at top) which sold in New York in 2016 for US$212,500, and a striking Footed Bowl in golden manganese glaze with terracotta bands and a turquoise ring (above), which achieved US$225,000 at auction in 2020.
Lucie Rie at Auction
Australia’s oldest auction house, Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers holds regular auctions in fine art, antiques and collectables. We regularly bring studio pottery to auction in our Fine Art auctions or in standalone Studio Pottery collections.
Our next Art | Australian & International auction will feature a delicate Small Jug c.1958 by Rie, crafted in stoneware, with manganese and white glaze to the interior.
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