F orm: (Women) Makers explores and reimagines the ways that pottery by female makers is currently being presented and narrated in the UK and internationally.
Highlights include works by Dame Magdalene Odundo and Dame Lucie Rie, whose genius and pioneering in their craft is being recognised on an unprecedented scale, both through their prices at auctions and in the exhibitions their work is included in today. The work of Jennifer Lee has found itself in private and public collections across the UK, resulting in even higher demand for her marbled, angular hand-built pieces. The exhibition also includes contemporary names such as Serena Korda and Alma Berrow, particularly in light of the Hayward Gallery’s recent Strange Clay exhibition.
The curation of the show and its associated writings will explore various threads that the exhibition raises, such as the benefits of having ‘all-women’ shows and sales such as these, the ongoing debate between craft and ‘fine art’, and the historical reasons why these female makers are making the unprecedented impact and prices that they do today. It brings critical voices and diverse perspectives from key figures working in the wider ceramics world such as Isabella Smith of Crafts Magazine, who has written an article for us, titled Women Made: Lucie Rie and the Rise of Britain’s Female Ceramicists.
The exhibition follows the seven years plus of experience and expertise that Sotheby’s have developed in ceramics in the UK, Europe, and the US. It continues the auction house’s legacy in creating top prices for makers and introducing new names into the international market, while giving a new exhibition context which, amidst Sotheby’s International Women’s Day campaign, will continue exposing these artists and their work to wider audiences and new collectors.
Exhibition on View
7–16 March 2023
Weekdays: 9:00 AM–4:30 PM
Weekends: 12:00 PM–5:00 PM
Closes 12:00 PM on 16 March
Location
Bing Gallery, New Bond Street
Illustrated
Dame Lucie Rie
Green Bowl
For any enquiries please contact Julia Fischel.
Sotheby’s is pleased to be showing highlights from the Form: (Women) Makers exhibition at Collect Fair, from 1-5 March, where we will be at stand W9.
Collect, the leading international fair for contemporary craft and design, returns to Somerset House in London from 3-5 March 2023 (previews 1 and 2 March). Galleries at the fair represent close to 400 artist makers working across the widest range of craft disciplines, all displayed side-by-side to create a unique opportunity for collectors and craft enthusiasts alike. Tickets are on sale now, book at collectfair.org.uk.
