This week on The History of Ceramics, we begin the remarkable story of two artists who transformed the course of modern ceramics. Our journey starts with the extraordinary life of Lucie Rie.
Born into the rich cultural world of Vienna, Lucie Rie was already an accomplished ceramic artist when the rise of Nazism forced her to leave everything behind. Arriving in London as a refugee in 1938, she faced the daunting challenge of rebuilding her life and career in an unfamiliar country. Yet through determination, technical brilliance, and an unmistakable artistic vision, she would become one of the defining figures of twentieth-century ceramics.
In this episode, we explore Rie's early life in Vienna, the artistic influences that shaped her distinctive style, and the resilience that carried her through exile and war. We discover how her elegant forms and luminous glazes challenged traditional ideas about pottery, and how her tiny London studio became the birthplace of a revolution in ceramic art.
This is more than the story of a remarkable potter. It is a story of courage, reinvention, and creativity flourishing against the odds.
Join Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh as they uncover the life and work of Lucie Rie—and discover how one extraordinary artist helped redefine the possibilities of clay.
Featured Images:
Lucie Rie, Bronzed bowls from the 1980s,
Photograph by Sylvain Deleu
© Estate of the artist/The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Hans Coper, A group of Cycladic forms, late- 1970s – early-1970s
Photograph by Sylvain Deleu
© Estate of the artist/The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Lucie Rie, Teapot Designed and Made for Ernst Plischke, 1928
Photograph by Sylvain Deleu
© Estate of the artist/The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Lucie Rie, Early London period bowl, c.1945
Lucie Rie & Hans Coper, Early London period cylindrical lidded pot, c.1947
Photograph by Sylvain Deleu
© Estate of the artists/The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Lucie Rie, Vase from the 'Black Firing', 1981 and Composite vase, known as the 'God Pot', c.1980
Photograph by Sylvain Deleu
© Estate of the artist/The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Lucie Rie, Vase with sgraffito design, c.1982 Footed bowl, c.1978
Photograph by Sylvain Deleu
© Estate of the artist/The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Lucie Rie, Pink footed bowl, c.1980
Photograph by Sylvain Deleu
© Estate of the artist/The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Bernard Leach, Thrown Bowl,, 1973
Provided by York Museum
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Bernard Leach Studio St Ives
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
PHOTOGRAPHS:
Lucie Rie and Hans Coper in front of Albion Mews, 1950s
Photograph by Jane Coper
© Estate of Jane Coper /The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Image Courtesy of the Crafts Study Centre,
University for the Creative Arts, Farnham
Lucie Rie and Hans Coper in front of Albion Mews, early 1950s
Photograph by Jane Coper
© Estate of Jane Coper /The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Lucie Rie and Hans Coper, 1959-69 (in vehicle)
Photograph by Jane Coper
© Estate of Jane Coper /The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Lucie Rie, Albion Mews, c.1960 (at wheel)
Photograph by Jane Coper
© Estate of Jane Coper /The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Lucie Rie, Albion Mews, c.1960 (at wheel with pot)
Photograph by Jane Coper
© Estate of Jane Coper /The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
Lucie Rie, Albion Mews, c.1967 (in studio)
Photograph by Jane Coper
© Estate of Jane Coper /The Lucie Rie and Hans Coper Foundation
‘Lucie Rie / Hans Coper: Life at the Wheel’ will be at Offer Waterman in London from 18 September - 31 October 2026.
For more great art content visit www.heni.com or visit the Heni Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks.
Credits:
Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene
Editor: Jim Fuller & Fraser Watson
Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac
Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction: Lucy Rie and Hans Coper - Titans of Studio Ceramics
00:03:31 Vienna's Golden Age: The Wiener Werkstätte and Gesamtkunstwerk
00:10:03 Lucy's Upbringing: An Intellectual Jewish Family in Vienna
00:17:18 World War I and Tragedy: The Loss of Her Brother
00:20:53 Discovery of Clay: Finding Her Medium at the Kunstgewerbeschule
00:29:23 Marriage and Early Success: Building a Career in 1920s Vienna
00:32:40 The 1937 Paris Expo: Career Triumph and Rising Darkness
00:36:07 Flight from Vienna: Escaping the Nazis in 1938
00:38:37 Starting Over in London: Albion Mews and the Button Business
00:48:28 A Knock on the Door: Hans Coper Arrives
