Studio Ceramics

The History of Studio Ceramics

22 April 2026

Philip Smith

Studio ceramics is one of those areas of collecting that feels both deeply traditional and quietly modern at the same time.

It really begins in the early 20th century, with Bernard Leach and the Leach Pottery in St Ives. Leach, alongside the Japanese potter Shōji Hamada, was trying to establish something quite specific, a way of working that valued the handmade object over industrial production. Their approach drew heavily on Anglo-Japanese traditions, where usefulness, simplicity and material honesty were central.

That idea still sits at the heart of studio ceramics today. Unlike factory-made ceramics, these are pieces made by the artist’s hand. You see it in the slight irregularities, the way a glaze settles, the weight of a pot. No two are exactly the same, and that’s the point.

Ilustrated: Akiko Hirai | Moon Jar

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Designers & Makers

Bernard Leach

British 1887 - 1986

“What draws collectors to studio ceramics is its immediacy, the sense that the maker, the material and the moment are all still present in the finished work.”

- Philip Smith, Head of Modern & Post-War Art & Design

Moving Beyond Tradition

After the Second World War, things begin to shift. A new generation of makers, most notably Lucie Rie and Hans Coper, brought a different sensibility. Working in London, including at studios like Albion Mews, they moved ceramics away from purely functional pottery towards something more sculptural.

Rie’s work is refined, precise, almost architectural at times. Coper’s is more elemental, bold forms, strong silhouettes. Between them, they helped position ceramics within the wider conversation of modern art, not just craft.

A Quiet Period & A Return

For a while, particularly through the 1980s and 1990s, studio ceramics was sustained by a relatively small group of committed collectors. It was respected, but not widely talked about.

That’s changed quite dramatically over the last twenty years. Partly it’s visibility more exhibitions, more fairs, more access. Partly it’s cultural. People are increasingly drawn to things that feel made, not manufactured. And there have been moments that shifted perception, like Grayson Perry winning the Turner Prize, which brought ceramics into a much broader contemporary art conversation.

Featured Makers

British 1902 - 1995

German 1920 - 1981

British 1960 -

Where It Sits Now

Today, studio ceramics is a broad and active field. You still have the historical anchors, Leach, Hamada, Rie, Coper, but alongside them are contemporary makers like Magdalene Odundo, Jennifer Lee, and Alison Britton, each approaching the medium in very different ways.

What’s interesting is that it remains a genuinely accessible area to collect. You can start small - modest pieces that are often quite affordable - and build over time. At the same time, the very best works now achieve significant prices at auction.

Featured Makers

Kenyan 1950 -

Scottish 1956 -

British 1948 -

What draws people in, and keeps them there, is the directness of it. Studio ceramics is about the relationship between maker and material. You can see the decisions, the process, the hand. It doesn’t try too hard and it doesn’t need to. It’s something you can live with, learn from, and come back to over years. And for many collectors, that’s exactly the appeal.

- Philip Smith, Head of Modern & Post-War Art & Design

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Department

Studio & Contemporary Ceramics

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Specialist

Philip Smith

Director, Head of Modern & Post-War Art & Design