Waistel Cooper 1921-2003
Waistel Cooper was a British painter and a major figure of the studio pottery scene in the post-war period. He was instrumental in the development of modernism within the world of ceramics.
Born in Ayr, Scotland, he initially studied painting at Hospitalfield School of Art before winning a painting scholarship to Edinburgh College of Art.
After the interruption of world war two, Cooper attempted his hand at pottery with a portrait commission in Iceland. Following this, he returned to England to set up a pottery studio in the village of Porlock, Somerset in 1950.
In August 1955, Henry Rothschild (1913–2009) gave Cooper a one-man show at his craft gallery in London, Primavera. Often compared to contemporary London based studio potters Coper and Lucie Rie, Cooper’s rural lifestyle meant that he was largely isolated from London trends. Cooper stated, “I met Lucie Rie and Hans Coper in the fifties and felt a very strong kinship with the direction their work was taking, in so far as it was concerned, as was mine, with sculptural form and texture, and was light years away from the Japonaiserie of the Bernard Leach school of pottery.”
In 1957 Cooper moved to the nearby hamlet of Culbone, where he re-established his pottery. He remained at Culbone Lodge for 25 years, before moving to Penzance in 1982.
We are actively seeking consignments of work by Waistel Cooper. Please contact us with details or to enquire after available works by this artist.
VIEW ALL AVAILABLE WORKS BY WAISTEL COOPER
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Twentieth Century
15 Nov - 23 Dec 2024Modern paintings, drawings, ceramics and textiles from the 20th century: Robert Henderson Blyth D Y Cameron Pat Douthwaite Ian Fleming William Gillies Gerald Laing Betty Blandino Robin Welch Althea McNish,...Read more -
British Art Fair
at Saatchi Gallery 26 - 29 Sep 2024Stand 12 at the British Art Fair 2024, with work by John Byrne, D Y Cameron, William Crosbie, Pat Douthwaite, Kenny Hunter, Gerald Laing, Iain Macnab, John Maclauchlan Milne, John...Read more -
Art & Design
1950 - 2000 26 Apr - 1 Jun 2024The Fine Art Society presents an exhibition of paintings, prints textiles and objects from 1950 to 2000 including a group of textiles by Trinidad-born designer Althea McNish, produced by Heal's...Read more -
History of the New
1 Jun - 29 Jul 2023Our summer show brings together artists who found themselves working at the threshold of the modern. It was this self-awareness and urge to make it new that motivated them as...Read more -
Waistel Cooper 1921-2003
Part Two 29 Sep - 18 Nov 2022 -
Waistel Cooper 1921-2003
Part one 14 Jan - 25 Feb 20222021 marked the centenary year of artist-potter Waistel Cooper's birth. It seemed fitting that this was the moment The Fine Art Society, with its long history of dealing in decorative...Read more