Hans Coper

Although Hans Coper was born in Chemnitz, Germany, he is considered one of the most important British studio potters of the 20th century. At the age of 19, he fled from Nazi Germany and lived in England until he died in 1981. His creations’ typical features include unconventional, abstract shapes with pronounced indentations or recesses and chalice-shaped projections. Using unobtrusive glazes in terms of color, Coper experimented with vibrant surface textures. His distinctive vessels, which he christened Flower, Arrow, Egg or Bud, for example, have an eminently sculptural quality. Like the vessels created by Lucie Rie, in whose studio he worked as an assistant from 1946 to 1958, Coper’s pieces nowadays fetch record prices at international auctions.