Lucie Rie’s unique blend of traditional ceramic techniques and modernist design trends transformed 20th-century pottery. Rie enjoyed considerable success early in her career and won prizes at the Brussels International Exposition in 1935, the Milan Triennial in 1936, and the Paris International Exposition in 1937.

After fleeing Nazi-controlled Austria, she arrived in London in 1938. Growing up in Vienna, Rie was exposed to European Modernism, and her elegant, hand-thrown vessels eschewed the British ceramic trends of the day, opting instead for simplified forms, sgraffito’d surfaces, and a wide variety of colourful glazes. She shared a studio for many years with fellow émigré Hans Coper; following her death in 1995, the studio was reconstructed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.