Contemporary Ceramics

A comprehensive worldwide survey, with over 600 stunning illustrations, of the most distinctive, intensely creative and innovative recent work, ranging from functional objects to the boundaries and possibilities of clay as a medium.

Recently, all areas of ceramic practice have been revitalized and the gulf that traditionally existed between the realms of ‘fine art’ and ‘craft’ has narrowed, resulting in a shift in perception of what ceramics can be and can mean.

Contemporary Ceramics covers every aspect of practice and includes work of all scales – from a few centimetres to vast room-sized installations. It is organized into five main chapters:
• Beyond Utility – bold and original, yet functional ceramics, including tea sets, cups, teapots and dinner services
• Defining Space – the vessel and its relationship to space and the void, featuring wheel-thrown shapes, slip-cast forms and hand-built structures
• Mind the Gap – the plasticity of clay and its earthy associations, including sculptural work from precise and mechanical to freely modelled forms
• A Sense of Space – installations, the site-specific and the environmental
• The Line of Beauty – new creative possibilities and collaborations between art and industry, many of which have resulted from recent advances in technology.

Complete with biographies of the featured ceramists and a list of selected art galleries and museums with collections of contemporary ceramics, this comprehensive survey will be an indispensable guide for ceramists, students and collectors alike.

Emmanuel Cooper is a practising ceramist, writer and critic. He is the editor of Ceramic Review and Visiting Professor of Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art, London.