Kenneth Clark

Kenneth Inman Carr Clark (31 July 1922 – 10 June 2012) was a New Zealand-born British ceramicist, best known for his decorative tiles.

Early life and family Born in Wellington, New Zealand, Through his mother, Clark was a great-grandson of William Inman, founder of passenger shipping company, the Inman Line. On his father's side, he was related to the 18th-century English architect, John Carr. and was educated at Nelson College from 1937 to 1941, where he won several prizes for drawing. where his teachers included Stanley Spencer. Clark went on to teach there himself for 25 years,

In 1953, Clark and Ann Wynn Reeves, whom he married the following year, founded Kenneth Clark Ceramics in the London district of Fitzrovia. The studio relocated to Lewes in 1989. The couple used their complementary skills in their practice: Ann designed many of the motifs and decorative emblems that Kenneth applied to his ceramics, and he used his technical knowledge to recreate glazes used by William De Morgan.

Clark served as chairman of the Society of Designer Craftsmen. In the 1980s he assisted the Romanian government with the revitalisation of the pottery industry in that country, and later played a similar role in Afghanistan. The following year he was awarded the Society of Designer Craftsmen's centennial medal.

Writings Clark wrote four books on pottery, including The Potter's Manual (1983), regarded as a standard reference work in the field, and The Tile: Making, Designing and Using, published in 2002.