Lucie Rie & Hans Coper - Clay, Courage and Reinvention - Part 2

Forced to flee Nazi Germany as a teenager, Hans Coper rebuilt his life from scratch in wartime Britain. When he began working in Lucie Rie's studio, he discovered not only a new craft but an entirely new way of expressing himself. Although Rie taught him the fundamentals of working with clay, Coper soon developed a powerful artistic language all his own creating bold, sculptural vessels that blurred the boundaries between pottery and sculpture.

In this episode, we explore Coper's remarkable transformation from refugee to internationally celebrated artist, the creative partnership and lifelong friendship he shared with Lucie Rie, and the innovations that changed the direction of modern ceramics forever.

More than a story about beautiful objects, this is a story of resilience, identity, and the extraordinary power of art to reshape a life.

Join Stephanie Rozene and Paul Greenhalgh as they uncover the life and work of Hans Coper and discover how a man who began with no training in ceramics became one of the defining voices of twentieth-century studio pottery.

IMAGES FOR HANS COPER EPISODE:

Lucie Rie, Bronzed bowls from the 1980s

Photograph by Sylvain Deleu

© Estate of the artist/The Lucie Rie and Hans

Coper Foundation

Hans Coper, A group of Cycladic forms, late-

1970s – early-1970s

Photograph by Sylvain Deleu

© Estate of the artist/The Lucie Rie and Hans

Coper Foundation

Hans Coper, Early composite form, c.1950 and

Large jug, c.1953

Photograph by Sylvain Deleu

© Estate of the artist/The Lucie Rie and Hans

Coper Foundation

Hans Coper, Portrait of Lucie Rie, conceived

c.1953

Photograph by Sylvain Deleu

© Estate of the artist/The Lucie Rie and Hans

Coper Foundation

Hans Coper, Ovoid pot c.1970, Small ovoid pot,

c.1972 and Ovoid pot, c.1972

Photograph by Sylvain Deleu

© Estate of the artist/The Lucie Rie and Hans

Coper Foundation

Monumental Altar Candlesticks, Coventry Cathedral, by Hans Coper,

Image courtesy of Julian Osley – CC BY-SA 2.0

ADDITIONAL WORKS:

Bernard Leach, Thrown Bowl, 1973

Provided by York Museum

Bernard Leach Studio St Ives

Henry Moore, Three Way Piece No. 2 ( The Archer), 1964-65

On display in front of Toronto City Hall since 1966

Henry Moore, Large Reclining Figure 1982 (LH 192b), fibreglass. As of 2004 sited outside the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. On loan from the Henry Moore Foundation.

Brâncuși's Paris studio, 1920, Photograph by Edward Steichen, Public Domain

Constantin Brancusi, The Kiss, 1907-08, Public Domain

PHOTOGRAPHS:

Lucie Rie and Hans Coper in front of Albion

Mews, 1950s

Photograph by Jane Coper

© Estate of Jane Coper /The Lucie Rie and Hans

Coper Foundation

Image Courtesy of the Crafts Study Centre,

University for the Creative Arts, Farnham

Lucie Rie and Hans Coper in front of Albion (B&W)

Mews, early 1950s

Photograph by Jane Coper

© Estate of Jane Coper /The Lucie Rie and Hans

Coper Foundation

Lucie Rie and Hans Coper, 1959-69 (in vehicle)

Photograph by Jane Coper

© Estate of Jane Coper /The Lucie Rie and Hans

Coper Foundation

Hans Coper, Albion Mews, c.1956

Photograph by Jane Coper

© Estate of Jane Coper /The Lucie Rie and Hans

Coper Foundation

Hans Coper, Albion Mews, c.1967

Photograph by Jane Coper

© Estate of Jane Coper /The Lucie Rie and Hans

Coper Foundation

‘Lucie Rie / Hans Coper: Life at the Wheel’ will be at Offer Waterman in London from 18 September - 31 October 2026.

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