Maak is delighted to present 'In Private Hands | The Shipley Collection’, a special auction dedicated to a significant single owner collection featuring masters of British studio ceramics. A highlight of the collection is a group of major works by Hans Coper and Lucie Rie.
In Private Hands | The Shipley Collection
15 May 2024 | 6pm BST
Originating from the major private collection of the late John and Joan Shipley of Portland, Oregon, this focused collection of 38 lots also features significant pieces by renowned British ceramic artist Elizabeth Fritsch, Kenyan-born British studio potter Magdalene Odundo and master British potter Bernard Leach alongside key post-modern ceramic artists.
Marijke Varrall-Jones | Founding Director, Maak
‘In Private Hands’ is a presentation of the seminal British studio ceramic masterworks from the collection of the late John and Joan Shipley of Portland, Oregon.
The Shipleys started collecting studio pottery in the late 1960s and over the next 50 or so years the couple regularly travelled to the UK and across the US, seeking out opportunities to acquire British studio ceramics. They shared a keen eye, selecting stand out works by the leading ceramic artists of the time.
The Shipleys acquired their first work by Hans Coper following their visit to the groundbreaking exhibition Peter Collingwood | Hans Coper at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 1969. Coper became the primary focus of their collection, as demonstrated in the eleven major works presented here. Coper’s contemporary and lifelong friend Lucie Rie was also a strong focus of the Shipley’s collection.
Extensive correspondence between the Shipley’s and Michael Sellers, Director of the Selwood Gallery in Frome, Somerset and Director of the British Craft Centre, in Earlham Street Covent Garden from 1974, reveals both their enthusiastic determination to selecting key works to add to their collection but also their emotional engagement with the artists themselves, with updates on their well being and references to visits a regular feature of the correspondence. Equally letters from Garth Clark in New York show a level of active engagement that spanned many years with the Shipley’s often being the first collectors to be offered new works when they came available.
David Queensbury was also an important connection for the Shipleys and letters reveal their early interest in the work of Elizabeth Fritsch and disappointment at not being able to acquire a work from the major exhibition of 52 works presented by Queensbury Hunt in 1984. The significant group of pots by Elizabeth Fritsch, known for her rhythmic forms and geometric surfaces, are an intriguing counterpoint to the modernist simplicity of Rie and Coper.
John and Joan’s lifelong interest in the arts went beyond just their own collection. Their support of the arts and culture was broad, progressive and inclusive and they were active members of the Portland community. They played vital roles at a number of institutions, including Contemporary Crafts, Catlin Gabel, Reed College, Chamber Music Northwest, PCVA, PNCA, PICA and more. This work was acknowledged when John and Joan received the Governor's Arts Award in 2005.
Following Joan’s death in 2011, John continued to be actively involved in Portland’s cultural community. The Shipley’s collection of Coper and Rie formed a significant proportion of an important retrospective of Coper’s work Hans Coper | Less Means More at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Holocaust Education in 2019. Taking place on the eve of the centennial of his birth in 1920 the exhibition presented work from the 1950s through to the late 1970s. The exhibition marked the first time Coper’s work has been shown in the United States since the 1994 Metropolitan Museum exhibition Lucie Rie/Hans Coper: Masterworks by Two British Potters. It is also the first time Coper’s work had been shown on the West Coast.
In an interview about the Less Means More exhibition, John is quoted as saying “It has been rewarding to share pieces from our collection and have them seen amidst other Coper works, especially those from England. The textures are most satisfying to the touch — sadly, the museum does not permit touching.”
Whilst exhibitions such as these are important, it remains a rare experience to see museum grade ceramics like these in a home; a privileged chance to see how collectors like John and Joan and their family lived with their pots day to day. When these important works are held in private hands they are no less impactful, in fact they gain an intimacy and immediacy that is very moving and leaves a lasting impact.
In Private Hands | The Shipley Collection
In Private Hands | The Shipley Collection
15 May 2024 | 6pm BST
All lots will be available to view at 40 Earlham St, London from 11 -15 May 2024.
Bidding will open on Saturday 11 May and close from 6pm on Thursday 15 May 2024. All bidding takes place online at www.maaklondon.com
Please contact us if you would like to speak to a specialist or if you have any questions about registration or the bidding process - info@maaklondon.com
