Lucie Rie – Ceramist (Austrian, British, 1902 to 1995)
Dame Lucie Rie is the most celebrated and widely collected of all 20th century ceramists, eclipsing the position once held by Hans Coper. Issey Miyaki curated an exhibition for her; Dan Flavin created light sculptures in her honor; and she received both the OBE and CBE, birthday honors from the Queen. She studied under Michael Powolny at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule and her first exhibition, organized by Josef Hoffmann, took place in his secessionist masterpiece, Palais Stoclet, in Brussels. In 1938 Rie moved to London to escape Jewish persecution and by 1950 was established as one of Britain’s leading ceramists together with her one-time employee, Hans Coper. Most works were acquired directly from the artist by a New York collector.
Information courtesy of Cowan’s Auctions, November, 2010.