Monday, January 25, 2010

Lucie Rie


As far as historical ceramics goes, I've always been enamored with Lucie Rie's pottery.  In love, actually. If I ever came close to a piece of hers, I think my heart would skip a few beats!  My good friend Lise Kuhr actually 'dared' (her work sells upwards of $40 000 for a bowl) to hold a piece that was up for auction at an auction house in London.  She got all dressed up, walked right in, and asked to see the bowl that was being auctioned off. Picked it up and held it.  I was jealous when she told me.

Lucie Rie's work bears a style that is truly her own.  When I first saw the grouping of her pots in the first photo on the blog 'an ambitious project collapsing' I knew instantly that they were hers.  The beauty about someone's style being so distinct is that everyone who tries to 'copy' it can't really compete with the real deal. 

That's something that I wanted to do when I started my ceramics career.  I wanted to make pots that didn't leave an ounce of doubt in someone's mind that they were mine. I didn't even want someone to have to flip the piece over to check the stamp/signature out to have to confirm who made it. And that's how I measure a good pot these days- by someone's signature style that is so distinct from the firs time you lay eyes on their work. 
There is one more week to vote for the Poppies Ceramics category on the Poppytalk blog.  There are some really amazing other contemporary potters (with distinct signature styles) to vote for along with myself.  Please vote (I'm not at all impressed with who's in the lead, hoping someone who really deserves the award will actually win it!)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

That was my goal when I started down my art quilt path as well! TO have a style that was unique to me, so that someone would know it was made by ME! Here's hoping 5, 10, 50 years from now we've achieved that!

dahlhaus said...

Yes, pretty much this kind of thing takes a lifetime. Lucie Rie only stopped making pottery in her 90's when she fell ill. Amazing that her dedication to her craft spanned virtually her whole lifetime- 60 or so years!

Sadie O'Neill said...

Ah, I found your blog as I was trying to google Lucie Rie pottery prices!

My mom has a footed bowl by Rie that we have used for everything from keys and wallets to bananas!

We're trying to sell it now that we know what it is!! I had no idea that it was such a big deal - I wish you could have come held this one!

dahlhaus said...

Oh my, Sadie- that is indeed a gem of a find! How much are you trying to sell it for and where??? It's like finding a Picasso in your attic!

Sadie O'Neill said...

Your work is lovely, by the way!

We'll likely auction it, seeing as how Rie's work is so coveted that most collectors want a verified work at an auction rather than a risky private sale...

Its too bad really... If we didn't need the money, we'd rather see it go to a real artist who'll love it for what it is, instead of a stuffy old collector who only wants the "name."

We have no idea at what price this could sell!

dahlhaus said...

Yes, you should probably go through a trusted auction house and get the full value (maybe more) out of the piece you have. What a find! All the best with the sale of it- hope it's a real wind-fall for your family!
Do you know how your family got the bowl in the first place?

Sadie O'Neill said...

Yes, my mom traded a persian rug for it in 1984!! She had no idea...