After three years researching his private glaze archive, I have written a book on Emmanuel Cooper’s previously unpublished glaze recipes. To accompany the book there will be a touring exhibition starting in London and travelling around the UK to Farnham, Aberystwyth and Barnsley. The exhibition will include Emmanuel Cooper’s test tiles, papers and pots from his partner David Horbury’s collection, the Emmanuel Cooper Estate. The iteration at the Crafts Study Centre in Farnham will also include some Lucie Rie pots and work by Emmanuel’s students at the Royal College of Art. Emmanuel was influenced by Lucie Rie, whose glaze notebooks I have also researched and included in the book.
Emmanuel Cooper’s ambition was to develop an electric kiln aesthetic. He made brightly coloured glazes inspired by the bright lights and built environment he encountered while riding his motorbike around the streets of London. He made bright yellows, pinks, vivid blue and turquoise glazes. He also developed combinations of slips and glazes that resulted in rich volcanic effects.
Exhibition dates
12-23 January 2027 Contemporary Ceramics 63 Great Russell Street, London
2 March -30 October 2027 The Crafts Study Centre, Farnham, Surrey
November 2027 -April 2028 Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wales
2028 Barnsley Museum The Cooper Gallery
