Clarice Cliff

by Lynn Knight

Clarice Cliff was one of the most influential ceramic artists of the 20th century. Born in 1899 in the Staffordshire Potteries, she began working life as a factory girl. By 1928, she had launched her own range of pottery, known as "Bizarre." A dazzling feast of color, it blazed a trail through the homes of interwar Britain. But if Cliff's rise from apprentice gilder to art director was remarkable—all the more so for being a woman—it was not without its for years she conducted a secret relationship with her married boss. Fusing art, design, and industry and vividly evoking the texture of women's lives between the wars, this is a compelling portrait of the complex, talented woman whose work is, for many, the epitome of Art Deco.

Genres: Biography Memoir

Paperback

First published September 5, 2005

Reviews

[Jackie O'sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This should have been so much better. I found myself skip reading through so many chapters where it was repeating parts of the story already said or listing entries in magazines that didn't really add much to the whole. I don't feel like I know much more about Clarice Cliff's life than I did before starting the book which is a shame. At least it acknowledges her extended family which is more than can be said for the film allegedly based on this book but which is nothing like it.

[Hilary Blake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably a 3 for the writing and research about the period and social history of The Potteries. However,it felt as if there wasn't really that much to know about Clarice Cliffe herself, apart from the ceramics, so there was a lot of 'possibly' Clarice did this, 'perhaps' she was there etc.

[Fozia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-researched biography of the artist and her day, and her impact on the visual arts.

[Beth Koorey]

Life was tough in The Potteries. A complex and talented artist, the book depicts life for women to be pretty restrictive.

[Fozia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well-researched biography of the artist and her day.