BERNARD LEACH (1887-1979)

Bernard Leach is acclaimed as the “Father of British studio ceramics”. His career began when it was not fashionable to work as a potter. It was a time when a potter was paid to throw pots for others to decorate and they were not considered to be artists. Leach attended the Slade School of Fine Art and the London School of Art, where he studied etching under Frank Brangwyn. Leach’s oeuvre combines influences from his time in Japan studying under Urano Shigekich, who was strongly influenced in the tradition of Ogata Kenzan VI (1663-1743), together with his knowledge of Korean and Chinese ceramics, his appreciation of English ceramics traditions and his fascination with medieval history. When he returned to England with his wife Muriel following a number years in Japan, they established the Leach Pottery near St Ives, Cornwall in 1920.