IS THE GOLDEN AGE OF BRITISH STUDIO POTTERY OVER?

It somehow seems the end of an Age in the past year or two. There has been such a sad roll call recently of Alan Wallwork, John Maltby, Phil Rogers, Alan Caiger Smith and sadly the recent decease of Richard Batterham perhaps the greatest of them all. It seems as though an Era has ended.
Although how do you define that era? 1965-2010? Or was there just one era? Was it a generational thing? Whatever it may be, a lot of Great Artist Potters are no longer with us.

It's very sad but most potters don't make the A-list until they reach 50 or 60+ ? Then we look back at their full gamut of work and give them a nod. Very few make it to the A-List most fall by the wayside. So you won't know is the current lot at considered contemporary Cardews until another thirty Summers have rained away a million picnics. Did it all start with Bernard's return to England in 1920? Did that era end with Batterham a 100 years later? Will 3d scanning and printing mean that anyone can have an exact copy of any item they want in the future? yes

Still plenty of A list potters, imo - Swindell, Curtis, Bayer, Bowen, Malone, Hammond, Collins, Plumptre… - and those who will replace the A listers when they reach their 70s-80s: Hake, Collier, Laverick…

And the wheel keeps on turning...

Batterham is one of the few greats that I dont have an example of; never even handled one.  I occasionally get US collector friends asking me to verify his pots on eBay before they bid, but I can’t

we have discussed this topic before but i think it's worth revisiting, i think we can  draw a parallel with the golden age of British modern art c1940 to c1975 we were world leaders even Americans such as Rothko came to visit  the St Ives artists. The movement started slowly and gained momentum in the 50's and was on high until the mid 60s then with leading artists such as Lanyon dying and others with their best work behind them the movement slowly fizzled out , a few stragglers lingered on and new faces tried to resurrect the glory days  but it was never the same. I think the 'golden age' of studio pottery is heading in the same direction, master production potters such as Batterman will not come again after the present crop have gone ,production pottery will still be made of course but with less panache, the same applies to the 'artist' potters, while potters such as Jennifer Lee, Fritsch,  etc are still going but i think it will be unlikely that any new faces will hit the big time in the future .

Crocker, interesting reading your last comment.
Im not saying I think you are wrong, or right, but I'm curious as to why you believe that there will be no more great potters hitting the big time (excuse my poor choice of words) so to speak, in the future.

Hi abstract, I think that i have explained why i believe this, in this post and in another post within the thread titled (on originality) in the general pottery discussion. I have no idea what you collect or are interested in but i would appreciate your views on the future of studio ceramics.

Whether it's studio ceramics or vintage clothing, trends of interest have highs and lows over time, in my opinion. Humans are predictable in a cyclic way, immersing in something only to leave it before revisiting at a future point.
I appreciate that the studio pottery movement happened and led us to where we are today, with more potters than ever before on this planet, I believe.
I don't imagine it will fizzle out and what's not to say some exceptional talent mightn't capture and fire people's imagination further, with the right set of circumstances, at the right time, with said influence from those that seem to set trends and influence others.

I tend to agree with you Mr. Toad in that it very much depends of those that are in a situation to influence or have the money to influence and if something takes their fancy.

In many ways, with the prices of the most sought after studio ceramics soaring, you could argue that the Golden Age is just beginning.

Multiple works forming installations seem to be one avenue for potters to become ceramic artists and make a reputation for themselves
I think Emma Westmacott is one to watch.

studio-pots wrote:I tend to agree with you Mr. Toad in that it very much depends of those that are in a situation to influence or have the money to influence and if something takes their fancy.

In many ways, with the prices of the most sought after studio ceramics soaring, you could argue that the Golden Age is just beginning.

It depends on which aspect is more important in the discussion:

The design, creation and skilled production of
or the buying and collecting of.

hi studio-pots, I agree that it's possible for 'certain' galleries to influence the modern ceramics market to a degree , as is self promotion by potters like De Waal but (hopefully) in the end excellence will prevail. I don't think that a golden age is just beginning as i think it's still with us up to a point, i think there is still some wriggle room for a few established and excellent but neglected potters to shine through the ranks into the elite but i see no signs of any newcomers making the grade.

Give the great cuts in Arts and Craft education under the Tories, there are a great deal fewer courses and venues for aspiring 'ceramic artists' to enter. Compare with the explosion of courses in the 1970's. That is going to make a great difference.
The term Golden Age of course implies a limited time period.

As with most topics I find myself discussing with most folk, I often find myself struggling to stay on topic and not draw comparisons with other facets of life.
Some really interesting points made.
I'm thinking pots, receptacles...were an absolute necessity from as far back as we can go. And here we are today, in a age where the creative side of studio... is appreciated a great deal more than ever before, in so much as there is presently more awareness and appreciation for the need to have and value our creativity, I would say it's in part crux to maintaining good mental health ( that and a whole host of other factors).
I look, rightly or wrongly, at studio in a similar way to how I view the growth of psychology (in so much as how it has impacted and is currently appreciated and used in our day to day lives today).
Freud, Jung, Gestalt... like Leach, Cardew..... helped make advances in their fields that are benefitting us today and advances, in my opinion, will be made on the work of our past great pioneers.
As to a Golden age, I do think mass attention and appreciation is in a constant state of flux. I don't think it is possible to go backwards, innovation and progress, I believe, will be our constant companion, albeit with bumps in the road along the way.
I agree that some may want and appreciate a 3d manufactured pot replica of their favour potter. That doesn't float my boat, personally speaking, but I can understand its appeal.

Hey by philpots definition 1965-2010? This supposed 'Golden Age' is pretty much when he (we also) have been alive. Very hard to judge a thing whilst you are this close to it. Come back in a couple of hundred years I say. Could you have judged the 'Golden Age' of Dutch art in 1700?

You are correct Crawford, as threads like this on any subject are about people of a certain age reminiscing. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but I do think that the Golden Age is just beginning, whether I like what it looks like or not.

It seems to me that potters have been complaining about the closure of courses for decades. Was there ever a time when the Colleges and Universities weren’t financially stretched? And is that really a fair guide? Potters find ways into the market place, and judging by the thriving regional associations there are plenty of new names and faces to populate the next Golden Age. I think we’re still living through one.

We still need more experienced potters helping the young blood to find their feet. Lisa Hammond does a fine job but more potters need to follow her example.

Clay College, Farham, St Ives, Cardiff, Kigbeare, Oxford anagama, etc... Lots of unsung potters helping the next generation

Bugger schools if you really want to do something just go and do it. A 2nd hand wheel, a bag of clay and a small eclectic oven don't cost that much compared to a new PlayStation. There is more than you could ever watch on YouTube and the internet. 50 years ago a wheel and a oven would have been very expensive items. Don't need courses - all online now people.

Agreed. Anyone can set themselves up as a potter these days and sell on Etsy. The quality can be pretty dire.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_law

NaomiM wrote:Agreed. Anyone can set themselves up as a potter these days and sell on Etsy. The quality can be pretty dire.

Reading this comment reminded me of some article I've recently seen on TV with regards one of those takeaway apps.
Apparently you could barbecue any old tripe on your garden grill and get it delivered.
Regulation....and the lack of, I believe.

There are thriving potters associations. I dont know if they have a minimum level of competence, but in general the standard is pretty high with the occasional outlier