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Richard Slee new works

12 September to 1 November 2008

Richard Slee is one of the UK‘s most significant ceramicists. His work is frequently provocative and mocking, but always perceptive. Cathy Courtney has observed that: ‘A typical Slee work may contain references to furniture, politics, sociology, a novel he has enjoyed or a scene from a film, alongside an echo of a Surrealist object, a taste of S�vres or Victoriana and, possibly, a joke.’ * He may present slightly puzzling events of intimate scale which encourage speculation. Some questions raised by occurrences within this exhibition might include: Is the philosopher contemplating the nature of his own existence? Or, what is about to happen in that shark infested platter?

Slee‘s enduring interest in the ornamentation of interiors acknowledges the values and ideals that decorative objects can uphold or reflect. Past works have taken inspiration from the fanciful and sometimes exotic embellishments and knick-knacks of the average British home. However, a number of works from the present series have developed from his observations on the British Establishment Club. Ritual, pomp and history are strong features of this world and are parodied in elaborate cloakroom hangers (of army officers and explorers?) and in Gothic door furniture. And yet, in the background, a wall of flames and a cloud of escaping gas evoke a sense of incident and menace.

*Garth Clark & Cathy Courtney, Richard Slee (2003). Lund Humphries/ The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery. p 20

Biographical notes

Born 1946, Richard Slee studied at the Central School of Art and Design (1965-70) and the Royal College of Art, London (1986-88). Internationally acclaimed, his work can be found in numerous private and public collections worldwide including Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Los Angeles County Museum; Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; Hongik University, Korea; National Museum, Stockholm; Trondheim Museum of Applied Arts, Norway; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; Manchester Metropolitan Museum; Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge; and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. A Professor of the University of the Arts, London since 1992, he was winner of the prestigious Jerwood Prize for Applied Arts: Ceramics in 2001. A solo exhibition of Slee‘s work is planned by the Victoria & Albert Museum for 2010.

For more information, transparencies, or to arrange an interview with the artist please contact

Juliana Barrett and Tatjana Marsden

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