LUCIE RIE, 1901-1995
Rare "Vienna Period" vase, ca. 1935
Earthenware, blue flowing glazes with a deep blue speckle coming through from the body. 11 ¼ in. (28.6 cm) high. Underside painted "L.R.G. Wien."  
PROVENANCE: Acquired directly from the artist

The ceramics that follow are the second and final group of works to be offered from a collection which includes an important group of pieces spanning 50 years of the artist's work.  They range from one of the largest known pieces developed by Lucie Rie while she was still developing her style in pre-war Vienna right through to one of the very last pieces that she fired in 1990.  Several of the items on offer were those retained by the artist as part of her own personal collection and frequently these prized pots were also those that were lent to exhibitions.  These included the Arts Council retrospective in 1967, the Crafts Council exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Musem in 1981, "Issey Miyake meets Lucie Rie" in 1989 and the "Lucie Rie – Hans Coper, Potters in Parallel" show at the Barbican Museum and Art Gallery in 1997.  Many of these pots were also reproduced as specimen examples in Lucie Rie's biography written by Tony Birks and first published in 1987.  In the last few years this important book has been translated and re-published in Japanese and French.    The collection was acquired after regular visits and purchases made over a period of 30 years beginning in the late 1960s.  This close relationship between artist and collector helped inform a highly developed understanding and appreciation of many of the unique qualities of her work.