Press Release

Offer Waterman is delighted to present Lucie Rie/Hans Coper: Life at the Wheel – the first major exhibition in almost three decades dedicated to presenting the work of both artists side by side. Drawing together more than 200 works on loan and for sale, all from private collections and therefore not generally accessible to the public, the exhibition begins with some of the earliest known examples made by Rie in Vienna through to those thrown on the wheel in 1990, the year she ceased working. These are joined by some of Coper’s earliest explorations with clay, a material he was first introduced to by Rie at her studio at 18 Albion Mews, through to some of his last, most refined forms, created before his early death in 1981.

Rie and Coper were born outside Britain, and as émigrés both were forced to forge their own path, carving out a new space within the genre and challenging perceptions dominated at the time by Bernard Leach and his circle. While each developed their own distinct aesthetic style, their work remained inextricably linked by their shared history and the twelve years they spent working together at Albion Mews. This friendship remained after Coper left to establish his own studio at Digswell, later returning to London before settling in Frome, Somerset in 1967. Both artists were reluctant to write or speak publicly about their inspiration or methodologies; instead, they spent their lives at the wheel, throwing each day. Together, they changed the course of ceramics in Britain and beyond.

Spread across four rooms within the historic building of 17 St George Street – formerly the showroom to William Morris & Co – Lucie Rie / Hans Coper: Life at the Wheel charts the journey of both artists, with carefully selected works that show the evolution, exploration and refinement of forms that today are celebrated as some of the most original and important within the medium.

This exhibition is accompanied by a newly published hardback catalogue, with texts by Tanya Harrod, Nigel Wood, Nigel Slater, Robin Cawdron-Stewart and Edmund de Waal.

Opening Friday 18 September 2026

EXHIBITION OPENING HOURS:

Tuesday - Friday, 10am - 6pm, Saturdays 11am - 5pm

closed Sundays and Mondays.

PRESS ENQUIRIES Megan Miller, Rees & Co

megan.miller@reesandco.com

+44 (0)7743 036 449

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About the Gallery
Offer Waterman opened his first gallery in Chelsea, London in 1996. Now based in a five-storey Georgian townhouse in Mayfair, the gallery has developed an international following for its exceptional 20th Century and Contemporary art. Previously the historic William Morris & Co showroom, the gallery at 17 St. George Street provides a relaxed and understated exhibition space across three floors, with a library and research centre on the fifth.

The gallery’s experienced and approachable team are dedicated to helping collectors, at all levels, develop remarkable and individual art collections. Offer Waterman is known for its historical exhibitions including, Frank Auerbach, Early Works (2012), David Hockney, Early Drawings (2015), Robert Rauschenberg: Transfer Drawings from the 1960s and 1970s (2016) and William Turnbull, Centenary Exhibition (2022). In 2023 we collaborated with fashion designer Jonathan Anderson on the exhibition On Foot, which placed 20th century British art in dialogue with Anderson’s own designs and works by contemporary artists and makers. Most recently, in the autumn of 2024, Frank Auerbach: Portraits of London, produced in collaboration with Francis Outred, presented 25 major landscapes from private and museum collections and attracted more than 5,000 visitors.

Offer Waterman is an established benefactor of museums and arts organisations and the gallery has supported numerous museum exhibitions including the Tate’s most recent David Hockney retrospective (2017); the Royal Academy of Arts exhibitions Lucian Freud: The Self-portraits (2019) and David Hockney: The Arrival of Spring, Normandy, (2020) and Barbara Hepworth: Art and Life at the Hepworth Wakefield (2021-22). In 2023, the gallery sponsored exhibitions by two leading female artists - the beautifully curated Lucie Rie: The Adventure of Pottery at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge and the equally compelling Gwen John: Art and Life in Paris and London at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester.
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Address
17 St George Street
London
United Kingdom
Opening Hours
Tuesday – Friday, 11am–5pm
Saturday 11am–4pm

The show will be closed for the holidays on Good Friday and Easter Saturday.
(1)
London 17 St George Street
Offer Waterman
17 St George Street, London, United Kingdom
+44 (0)20 7042 3233
https://www.waterman.co.uk/

Opening hours
Tuesday – Friday, 11am–5pm
Saturday 11am–4pm

The show will be closed for the holidays on Good Friday and Easter Saturday.
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