Agnete Hoy
Encyclopedia
Agnete Hoy also known as Anita Hoy, is an English
artist potter
who managed successfully to create a bridge between industrial ceramics and work of the studio potters. Having studied in Copenhagen
she went on to work for the Holbæk
and Saxbo potteries in the late-1930s before returning to England
. Agnete’s Danish
experience helped her creativity within the English ceramic
industry during the war years and following period.
Her technical expertise related to glazes
and firing was gained on the factory floor and used to produce her distinctive designs for production at both Buller’s in Stoke-on-Trent
and Royal Doulton
Lambeth Wares.
, England
on 3 November 1914 to her Danish parents, Soren and Anna Blichfeldt who had been living in England since 1906. Soren, a research bacteriologist from Copenhagen
, had been invited to set up a new scientific laboratory for the Maypole Margarine
Works in Southall
.
Being born into a reasonably well-off, middle-class family, Agnete had a peaceful childhood. In common with other families of the same social standing she and her two elder brothers, Svend and Eric, were looked after by a nanny
and the household also supported a cook and maid. This happy childhood was to end abruptly with the early death of her father in 1921, when Agnete was only 7 years old. This had a profound effect on her for the whole of her life. The family’s income was now drastically reduced and her mother decided to take the young family back to Denmark
, where she knew the boys would receive an excellent free state education.
The family had strong artistic traditions both in the visual arts and music and she was encouraged to take up her interest in painting on pre-formed ceramic
s. At age 19, she applied to the Copenhagen College of Art and Crafts and was accepted, studying there for 3 years. After this she worked with Gerhard Nielsen at the Holbaek Pottery for a year and then moved on to working at Saxbo for Natalie Krebs. In 1938, Agnete married Askel Hoy, an architect
, 7 years her senior and it was this surname she would use for the rest of her professional career. Within a few months the marriage failed. Agnete applied for a formal separation and left Denmark
, accompanied by her mother in 1939 to get away from the unhappy circumstances. She planned to visit her two brothers who had returned to England
to work, a few years earlier. It was during this visit that war broke out and they were unable to return to Denmark
.
Needing work, Agnete went to stay with her brother Svend, who lived in the centre of the pottery
manufacturing industry at Stoke on Trent
and secured work with Bullers Ltd, who produced electrical insulators. Later on she became head of their small art studio and continued in this position until they closed it down in 1952. After this, she moved down to London
to be with her second husband, Harry Bohrer, whom she married in 1943. Once in London
, Agnete applied directly to the Doulton Lambeth
studio and was appointed head of the studio until its closure in 1956.
The next year, Agnete set up her own studio in her home at Acton
, West London, and in the early 1960s began lecturing and teaching at various art colleges, including Hammersmith
, Farnham
and Richmond. Her husband Harry died in 1986 and she carried on her life as best she could without his support. However from the early-1990s onwards Agnete suffered from a disabling illness which was born with great dignity. She died at West Middlesex Hospital, Isleworth
on 1 April 2000.
on holiday to visit her brothers who had returned to England a few years earlier to work. With the onset of war, they were unexpectedly exiled in England and Agnete went to Liverpool to be near her younger brother, Eric, who was working in the food canning industry. Unable to find suitable employment there, she decided to join her other brother Svend, who lived and worked in the heart of the pottery manufacturing area of Stoke on Trent and look for a pottery based job there. She gained a job with Bullers Ltd. in Milton
as head of the studio. This factory produced porcelain insulators for the electricity industry and had historically run a small design studio. Agnete set about consolidating and expanding this unique industrial studio and began by producing ideas for ‘oven to tableware’, something that was virtually unheard of at that time.
Many of her pots were experimental in nature and with no specific brief or restraint on her ideas, some one-off ceramics were produced, as well as designs for mass production. It was Bullers' intention to sell these wares to Heals in London and so when there were enough prototypes ready, Agnete herself went to see the Heals buyers. They liked the pots but immediately asked her to produce a range of porcelain
animal models in similar colours, explaining that there was a market for such items in the USA.
As the confidence of the directors at Bullers increased she was allowed to choose assistants for the studio. The first one to arrive on the recommendation of Gordon Forsyth in 1943 was James Rushton, 15 years old, who was employed in the first place to be modeller and caster. Later they were joined by Elsie Forrester and Hilda Hind, both described as decorators. The team grew to 10 and included Harold Thomas whom Agnete considered to be the best ‘thrower’ in Stoke on Trent
. As soon as the workers had ‘proved’ their ability, she encouraged them to develop their own styles. Over the years Agnete invited influential studio potters such as Bernard Leach and his son, Michael and Rosemary Wren to visit. The input of visitors added to the general artistic and intellectual atmosphere within the studio.
In 1952, Agnete returned to London to be with her husband Harry Bohrer where she took a job with the Royal Doulton
Lambeth Studio. The Lambeth
Studio had been in existence for over 80 years, though output had been minimal since the advent of WW2. In the aftermath of the 1951 Festival of Britain
, managers at Doulton's had decided to revive the production of decorative wares, and under Hoy's direction, the studio would be run along similar lines to Bullers, although little of the work was ever mass-produced, except for the Coronation pieces outlined below. Indeed, many of Hoy's pots were probably unique, a throwback to the earliest days of the Lambeth studio (i.e. the early 1870s) where again, virtually all the output was on a one-off basis, largely produced at the artist's whims. Agnete brought her own style to Lambeth, principally by developing a cream stoneware base and glossy translucent glazes that resembled earthenware more than stoneware. Her decorative techniques varied from painted flower, bird and fruit motifs, to more geometrically decorated pieces, with incised or (rarely) slip-trailed designs. Pieces produced in this period either have her full signature to the base or her monogram in the form of conjoined initials AH. That said, there are plenty of pieces from this period which are clearly by her, but for some reason are unsigned. Her chief assistant at Lambeth was Helen Walters (later Helen Swain).
In 1953, Agnete was asked to produce a range of decorative ware to commemorate the Coronation
of Queen Elizabeth II. Among the items she produced were a 3-handled loving cup and a tankard, produced in editions of 100 and 500 respectively. Perhaps one of her best known pieces from this period is the cat, Pushkin, which was modelled after her own cat – Alexander Pushkin. Only 12 models were made, each with subtly differing decoration.
By 1956, Doulton had made the decision to consolidate their business in Stoke-on-Trent and closed the Lambeth Studio, which caused Agnete to set up a workshop in her home in Acton. She bought a reasonable size electric kiln
and acquired an industrial wheel, similar to the kind she had used at Bullers and Doulton.
Teaching at art colleges in and around London meant that she could use their firing facilities as well as her own. During the late 1950s Agnete, along with many fellow potters, was actively involved in the establishment of the Craftsmen's Potters Association (CPA). It was here and at many other prestigious exhibitions and venues around Britain that her work was shown.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist potter
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
who managed successfully to create a bridge between industrial ceramics and work of the studio potters. Having studied in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
she went on to work for the Holbæk
Holbæk
Holbæk is a town in Denmark and the seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 27,055 . The city is located in the northeastern part of Region Sjælland, Denmark....
and Saxbo potteries in the late-1930s before returning to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Agnete’s Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
experience helped her creativity within the English ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
industry during the war years and following period.
Her technical expertise related to glazes
Ceramic glaze
Glaze is a layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fired to fuse to a ceramic object to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof it.-Use:...
and firing was gained on the factory floor and used to produce her distinctive designs for production at both Buller’s in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and Royal Doulton
Royal Doulton
The Royal Doulton Company is an English company producing tableware and collectables, dating to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in The Potteries, where it was a latecomer compared to Spode, Wedgwood and Minton...
Lambeth Wares.
Early life
Agnete Hoy was born in SouthallSouthall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 3 November 1914 to her Danish parents, Soren and Anna Blichfeldt who had been living in England since 1906. Soren, a research bacteriologist from Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, had been invited to set up a new scientific laboratory for the Maypole Margarine
Margarine
Margarine , as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes, typically composed of vegetable oils. In many parts of the world, the market share of margarine and spreads has overtaken that of butter...
Works in Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
.
Being born into a reasonably well-off, middle-class family, Agnete had a peaceful childhood. In common with other families of the same social standing she and her two elder brothers, Svend and Eric, were looked after by a nanny
Nanny
A nanny, childminder or child care provider, is an individual who provides care for one or more children in a family as a service...
and the household also supported a cook and maid. This happy childhood was to end abruptly with the early death of her father in 1921, when Agnete was only 7 years old. This had a profound effect on her for the whole of her life. The family’s income was now drastically reduced and her mother decided to take the young family back to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, where she knew the boys would receive an excellent free state education.
The family had strong artistic traditions both in the visual arts and music and she was encouraged to take up her interest in painting on pre-formed ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
s. At age 19, she applied to the Copenhagen College of Art and Crafts and was accepted, studying there for 3 years. After this she worked with Gerhard Nielsen at the Holbaek Pottery for a year and then moved on to working at Saxbo for Natalie Krebs. In 1938, Agnete married Askel Hoy, an architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, 7 years her senior and it was this surname she would use for the rest of her professional career. Within a few months the marriage failed. Agnete applied for a formal separation and left Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, accompanied by her mother in 1939 to get away from the unhappy circumstances. She planned to visit her two brothers who had returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to work, a few years earlier. It was during this visit that war broke out and they were unable to return to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
Needing work, Agnete went to stay with her brother Svend, who lived in the centre of the pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
manufacturing industry at Stoke on Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and secured work with Bullers Ltd, who produced electrical insulators. Later on she became head of their small art studio and continued in this position until they closed it down in 1952. After this, she moved down to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to be with her second husband, Harry Bohrer, whom she married in 1943. Once in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Agnete applied directly to the Doulton Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
studio and was appointed head of the studio until its closure in 1956.
The next year, Agnete set up her own studio in her home at Acton
Acton, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
, West London, and in the early 1960s began lecturing and teaching at various art colleges, including Hammersmith
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...
, Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
and Richmond. Her husband Harry died in 1986 and she carried on her life as best she could without his support. However from the early-1990s onwards Agnete suffered from a disabling illness which was born with great dignity. She died at West Middlesex Hospital, Isleworth
Isleworth
Isleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...
on 1 April 2000.
Work
In 1939, Agnete and her mother left DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
on holiday to visit her brothers who had returned to England a few years earlier to work. With the onset of war, they were unexpectedly exiled in England and Agnete went to Liverpool to be near her younger brother, Eric, who was working in the food canning industry. Unable to find suitable employment there, she decided to join her other brother Svend, who lived and worked in the heart of the pottery manufacturing area of Stoke on Trent and look for a pottery based job there. She gained a job with Bullers Ltd. in Milton
Milton, Staffordshire
Milton is located in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England. It is mainly situated between the A5009 and A53 roads. It shares its borders with Light Oaks, Baddeley Green, Sneyd Green, and Abbey Hulton....
as head of the studio. This factory produced porcelain insulators for the electricity industry and had historically run a small design studio. Agnete set about consolidating and expanding this unique industrial studio and began by producing ideas for ‘oven to tableware’, something that was virtually unheard of at that time.
Many of her pots were experimental in nature and with no specific brief or restraint on her ideas, some one-off ceramics were produced, as well as designs for mass production. It was Bullers' intention to sell these wares to Heals in London and so when there were enough prototypes ready, Agnete herself went to see the Heals buyers. They liked the pots but immediately asked her to produce a range of porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
animal models in similar colours, explaining that there was a market for such items in the USA.
As the confidence of the directors at Bullers increased she was allowed to choose assistants for the studio. The first one to arrive on the recommendation of Gordon Forsyth in 1943 was James Rushton, 15 years old, who was employed in the first place to be modeller and caster. Later they were joined by Elsie Forrester and Hilda Hind, both described as decorators. The team grew to 10 and included Harold Thomas whom Agnete considered to be the best ‘thrower’ in Stoke on Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. As soon as the workers had ‘proved’ their ability, she encouraged them to develop their own styles. Over the years Agnete invited influential studio potters such as Bernard Leach and his son, Michael and Rosemary Wren to visit. The input of visitors added to the general artistic and intellectual atmosphere within the studio.
In 1952, Agnete returned to London to be with her husband Harry Bohrer where she took a job with the Royal Doulton
Royal Doulton
The Royal Doulton Company is an English company producing tableware and collectables, dating to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in The Potteries, where it was a latecomer compared to Spode, Wedgwood and Minton...
Lambeth Studio. The Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
Studio had been in existence for over 80 years, though output had been minimal since the advent of WW2. In the aftermath of the 1951 Festival of Britain
Festival of Britain
The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition in Britain in the summer of 1951. It was organised by the government to give Britons a feeling of recovery in the aftermath of war and to promote good quality design in the rebuilding of British towns and cities. The Festival's centrepiece was in...
, managers at Doulton's had decided to revive the production of decorative wares, and under Hoy's direction, the studio would be run along similar lines to Bullers, although little of the work was ever mass-produced, except for the Coronation pieces outlined below. Indeed, many of Hoy's pots were probably unique, a throwback to the earliest days of the Lambeth studio (i.e. the early 1870s) where again, virtually all the output was on a one-off basis, largely produced at the artist's whims. Agnete brought her own style to Lambeth, principally by developing a cream stoneware base and glossy translucent glazes that resembled earthenware more than stoneware. Her decorative techniques varied from painted flower, bird and fruit motifs, to more geometrically decorated pieces, with incised or (rarely) slip-trailed designs. Pieces produced in this period either have her full signature to the base or her monogram in the form of conjoined initials AH. That said, there are plenty of pieces from this period which are clearly by her, but for some reason are unsigned. Her chief assistant at Lambeth was Helen Walters (later Helen Swain).
In 1953, Agnete was asked to produce a range of decorative ware to commemorate the Coronation
Coronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of Queen Elizabeth II. Among the items she produced were a 3-handled loving cup and a tankard, produced in editions of 100 and 500 respectively. Perhaps one of her best known pieces from this period is the cat, Pushkin, which was modelled after her own cat – Alexander Pushkin. Only 12 models were made, each with subtly differing decoration.
By 1956, Doulton had made the decision to consolidate their business in Stoke-on-Trent and closed the Lambeth Studio, which caused Agnete to set up a workshop in her home in Acton. She bought a reasonable size electric kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
and acquired an industrial wheel, similar to the kind she had used at Bullers and Doulton.
Teaching at art colleges in and around London meant that she could use their firing facilities as well as her own. During the late 1950s Agnete, along with many fellow potters, was actively involved in the establishment of the Craftsmen's Potters Association (CPA). It was here and at many other prestigious exhibitions and venues around Britain that her work was shown.