Martin Smith (potter)
Encyclopedia
Martin Smith is professor
of ceramics and glass at the Royal College of Art
in London.
. He worked from a studio in Suffolk
, later moving to London.
Smith's early works were large raku bowls which were precise and geometric, departing from the tradition of Japanese raku. From the 1980s he has formed his ceramics by press moulding or throwing red earthenware
clay which is subsequently altered by cutting and grinding. He adds metal and gold leaf to the interiors of his pieces and sometimes adds slate or sheet metal to the base. "Smith's work is far removed from the spontaneity, plasticity and softness associated with clay; his is tough, hard edged, planned, measured and architectonic."
A key figure in British ceramics, he taught at Loughborough College of Art & Design (1983–85) and Camberwell College of Art (1986–89). He joined the staff of the Royal College of Art in 1989 and was appointed professor of ceramics and glass in 1999.
Smith is one of a group of potters, including Elizabeth Fritsch
, Alison Britton, Ewen Henderson
, Gordon Baldwin
and Richard Slee
who make a small number of sculptural pieces that they tend to exhibit on plinths
His ceramics are represented in public collections including those of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
and the Stedelijk Museum
, the Metropolitan Museum of New York. A major retrospective exhibition was held at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen
, Rotterdam
in 1996.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of ceramics and glass at the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
in London.
Work and career
He was born in Essex, England and was educated at Bristol Polytechnic (1971–74) and the Royal College of Art (1971–77), where he studied the technique of rakuRaku
Raku-yaki is a type of Japanese pottery that is traditionally used in the Japanese tea ceremony, most often in the form of tea bowls...
. He worked from a studio in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, later moving to London.
Smith's early works were large raku bowls which were precise and geometric, departing from the tradition of Japanese raku. From the 1980s he has formed his ceramics by press moulding or throwing red earthenware
Earthenware
Earthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.-Types of earthenware:Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15%...
clay which is subsequently altered by cutting and grinding. He adds metal and gold leaf to the interiors of his pieces and sometimes adds slate or sheet metal to the base. "Smith's work is far removed from the spontaneity, plasticity and softness associated with clay; his is tough, hard edged, planned, measured and architectonic."
A key figure in British ceramics, he taught at Loughborough College of Art & Design (1983–85) and Camberwell College of Art (1986–89). He joined the staff of the Royal College of Art in 1989 and was appointed professor of ceramics and glass in 1999.
Smith is one of a group of potters, including Elizabeth Fritsch
Elizabeth Fritsch
Elizabeth Fritsch MA CBE is a British studio potter. Her hand built painted pots are often influenced by music, painting, literature and architecture. Fritsch studied harp and then piano at the Royal Academy of Music from 1958 to 1964, but later took up ceramics under Hans Coper and Eduardo...
, Alison Britton, Ewen Henderson
Ewen Henderson
Ewen Henderson may refer to:*Ewen Henderson , artist*Ewen Henderson , fiddler and bagpiper...
, Gordon Baldwin
Gordon Baldwin
Gordon Baldwin born 1932 in Lincoln, England is an influential British studio potter.He studied at Central School of Art and Design and was teacher of Ceramics and Sculpture at Eton College...
and Richard Slee
Richard Slee
Richard Slee may refer to:*Richard Thilthorpe Slee*Richard Slee...
who make a small number of sculptural pieces that they tend to exhibit on plinths
His ceramics are represented in public collections including those of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
The in Tokyo, Japan, is the foremost museum collecting and exhibiting contemporary Japanese art.This Tokyo museum is also known by the English acronym MOMAT...
, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
and the Stedelijk Museum
Stedelijk Museum
Founded in 1874, the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is a museum for classic modern and contemporary art in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It has been housed on the Paulus Potterstraat, next to Museum Square Museumplein and to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the Concertgebouw, in Amsterdam Zuid...
, the Metropolitan Museum of New York. A major retrospective exhibition was held at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen is the main art museum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The museum began in 1847 with the collection of Frans Jacob Otto Boijmans . Much of the museum's original collection was destroyed in a disastrous 1864 fire...
, Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in 1996.