Bernard Leach - The Making of A Master - Part 3

How did Bernard Leach’s ideas travel from a small pottery in St Ives to influence generations of potters around the world?

In the final episode of our three-part series, we follow Leach as his influence spreads beyond Britain. We explore his relationship with American potters Warren and Alix MacKenzie, his travels across the United States, and his celebrated 1952 tour with Shōji Hamada and Sōetsu Yanagi.

From Black Mountain College to the emerging American studio pottery movement, we meet artists including Marguerite Wildenhain, Karen Karnes and Peter Voulkos, and discover how a new generation embraced, challenged and transformed Leach’s ideas.

This is the story of how Bernard Leach became an international figure — and how his philosophy helped reshape studio pottery for generations to come.

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Artworks and images in this episode:

Bernard Leach, David Leach, and students at the Leach Pottery, St. Ives, Cornwall c.1945

A Potter’s Book, by Bernard Leach, 1940

David Leach, 1911-2005

Standard Ware Bowls, Bernard Leach

Pottery Dinnerware, The LeachPottery, St. Ives

Michael Cardew, William Marshall, Bernard Leach, Picnicking at Cardew’s Pottery in 1970, Courtesy of Jeff Oestrich