Ryoji Koie, Tsubo, 1972

Ceramic
33 x 28 x 28 cm
Condition: Very good

-

Ryoji Koie (Japanese, 1938–2020) studied ceramics in his hometown, Tokoname, one of the oldest ceramic centres in Japan. He made his first pots at the age of 20, following a period working in a tile factory. His practice spanned wheel-thrown, extruded, and constructed works, guided by a commitment to spontaneity in both making and decoration.

Koie’s style was distinctly iconoclastic. He placed greater value on innovation than convention, drawing inspiration from post-war contemporary art movements and artists such as Jackson Pollock and Mono-ha. His work – from large-scale installations to small sake cups – could be provocative, boisterous, and intense, yet always carried a sense of freedom and humanity.

Widely regarded as an artist who challenged existing beliefs, Koie made extraordinary discoveries within the often rigid, tradition-bound world of Japanese ceramics. His driving questions were: “Who am I? What is living? What is dying?” To which he himself  answered, “It’s how we live.”

(Photographed in February 2025)