In his major new history, Paul Greenhalgh tells the story of ceramics as a story of human civilisation, from the Ancient Greeks to the present day. As a core craft technology, pottery has underpinned domesticity, business, religion, recreation, architecture, and art for millennia. Indeed, the history of ceramics parallels the development of human society.
This fascinating and very human history traces the story of ceramic art and industry from the Ancient Greeks to the Romans and the medieval world; Islamic ceramic cultures and their influence on the Italian Renaissance; Chinese and European porcelain production; modernity and Art Nouveau; the rise of the studio potter, Art Deco, International Style and Mid-Century Modern, and finally, the contemporary explosion of ceramic making and the postmodern potter. Interwoven in this journey through time and place is the story of the pots themselves, the culture of the ceramics, and their character and meaning.
At the event, Paul Greenhalgh will give an interactive talk on the history of ceramics, from Ancient Greece, through the Medieval Islamic world to the present day, delving further into topics raised in his book Ceramic, Art and Civilisation, which traces the story of ceramic art and its industry across centuries of global artistic development.
Paul will have a selection of modern and ancient pots in situ, giving spectators a rare opportunity to see these works up close. Event attendees will also receive an exclusive HENI Art Club HAT.
Paul's book Ceramic, Art and Civilisation is available to all HENI Art Club members in our Digital Library and print copies are available to purchase at a 25% discount from our print book shop.