Buy and sell Contemporary Ceramics and Studio Pottery at auction in Edinburgh, London, Glasgow and online

Studio & Contemporary Ceramics

Studio & Contemporary Ceramics is one of the most exciting fields in the current auction market, with record prices and an abundance of innovative young artists in this sector.

Our senior specialists Philip Smith and Joy McCall have over 35 years expertise in the commercial sector in this field between them, and Lyon & Turnbull offer one of the most innovative and dynamic selling platforms for contemporary ceramic art. Our level of expertise, curated displays, and beautifully produced catalogues result in top prices being achieved for works by the leading studio ceramic artists in our flagship London sale MODERN MADE.

All sale results shown are inclusive of buyer’s premium.

Studio & Contemporary Ceramics Auction Valuation

Looking to discover the value of your Studio & Contemporary Ceramics? Contact our specialist team for a complimentary auction valuation

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Specialist Sales

Our biannual specialist sales, at the Mall Galleries in central London and online, take place at the height of the auction season, and covers Bernard Leach and the Anglo-Oriental Movement, Hans Coper and the Modernist Movement as well as fine examples of one-of-a-kind works from Akiko Hirai, Dame Lucie Rie, Dame Magdalene Odundo, Sir Grayson Perry, Emmanuel Cooper, Jennifer Lee, Ladi Kwali, Edmund De Waal and many more.

We are dedicated to conscientiously promoting the works to an international market, and handling both individual works or single owner collections, and helping to nurture the market and champion it's significance in the wider art market.

Celebrating Contemporary Ceramics

Featuring the finest of works by studio and contemporary ceramic masters, our April and October MODERN MADE auctions offer an opportunity to own pieces from some of the brightest stars in the contemporary ceramics world.

Past Lots Sold at Auction

SOLD FOR £35,000

Hans Coper

'Hourglass Form' Circa 1970

SOLD FOR £6,250

Emmanuel Cooper

Jug, 2002

SOLD FOR £18,270

John Ward

Vessel With Cut Rim, C.1994

SOLD FOR £5,796

Hitomi Hosono

Tall Wisteria Vase, 2019

SOLD FOR £57,500

Lucie Rie

Footed Bowl, Circa 1980

SOLD FOR £15,000

Jennifer Lee

Pale, Speckled, Granite & Dark Bands, Tilted Vessel, 1984

SOLD FOR £13,750

Akiko Hirai

Moon Jar

SOLD FOR £31,450

Magdalene Odundo

Bowl, Circa 1981 - 1982

Our Head of Department, Philip Smith, is recognised as one of the leading auction experts in the UK. Philip’s experience, knowledge and passion for this area, together with a vast network of contacts and strong links to leading authorities, makers and museums, ensure examples of some of the world's finest studio pottery and contemporary ceramics are regularly brought to auction.

Philip is a valued contributor to a number of specialist publications including Ceramic Review, and has previously lectured on the changing nature of Studio Ceramics reception in the art world at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. He is supported by a wider team of ceramics auction experts, including Joy McCall and Matthew Yeats.

Meet Our Studio & Contemporary Ceramics Specialists

Philip Smith

Head of Department

philip.smith@lyonandturnbull.com

0207 930 9115

Joy McCall

Senior Specialist

joy.mccall@lyonandturnbull.com

0207 930 9115

Matthew Yeats

Associate Specialist

matthew.yeats@lyonandturnbull.com

0207 930 9115

"To make pottery is an adventure to me, every new work is a new beginning."

- Dame Lucie Rie

MODERN MADE: Modern, Post-War & Contemporary Art, Design, Craft and Studio Ceramics

01 November 2024

STORIES

Celebrating Women in Contemporary Ceramics

Discover four contemporary ceramicists regularly featured in our auctions

FEATURED DESIGNER

Dame Lucie Rie

Discover the life and works of a pioneering modern ceramicist

FEATURED DESIGNER

Akiko Hirai

Akiko Hirai's work reflects a harmonious balance between traditional Japanese pottery techniques & a contemporary aesthetic

EVENTS

Valuation Day | Modern & Contemporary Design

08 January | 10:00 - 16:00

London

FEATURED ARTIST

Hans Coper

Hans Coper’s legacy cannot be understated. His modernist ceramics have come to be synonymous contemporary studio ceramics that we know in Britain today.

RELATED DEPARTMENTS

Studio & Contemporary Ceramics

Studio & Contemporary Ceramics Auction Valuation

Add a Lot Alert

Specialist Sales

Celebrating Contemporary Ceramics

Hans Coper

Emmanuel Cooper

John Ward

Hitomi Hosono

Lucie Rie

Jennifer Lee

Akiko Hirai

Magdalene Odundo

Philip Smith

Joy McCall

Matthew Yeats

MODERN MADE: Modern, Post-War & Contemporary Art, Design, Craft and Studio Ceramics

Celebrating Women in Contemporary Ceramics

Dame Lucie Rie

Akiko Hirai

Valuation Day | Modern & Contemporary Design

Hans Coper

Contemporary Craft

Modern Design

Lalique

Modern British Art

Design: 1860 - 1945

Posters

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