After establishing themselves at the forefront of international ceramic design during the 1950s, modern West German ceramics underwent a second explosion in design during the 1960s & 70s, pushing boundaries of form, glaze and colour to their limits. Makers range from the largest such as Scheurich, Dümler & Breiden, Bay, Ruscha and Carstens, down to medium and small size ‘art potteries’ such as Roth, Marei, ES and Ceramano. Since the publication of the first Fat Lava book and the accompanying landmark exhibition of the Graham Cooley Collection in 2006, the area has mushroomed in popularity. New information is being uncovered all the time, and examples can be found from £5 to over £500, making this one of the most vibrant, appealing and hotly developing markets in 20thC design. This hub page provides easy links to all the information about Fat Lava on my site, including information on my bestselling book (now in its third edition) and links to my extensive archive of blog posts on the subject.

Fat Lava: West German Ceramics of the 1960s-70s

This is the book that started it all. Now in its third edition, with sales across the world, this book showcases the leading factories and designs and acts as both the ideal primer for the new collector and an essential reference work for the more experienced collector. With over 180 specially commissioned, full colour images, and a specially written introduction, this is the first publication to address this previously ignored snapshot in design history and covers many of the leading makers. Marks, labels help you identify factories and the intorductory captions give you more information about each piece and help you to collect more wisely. Read more

Fat Lava: The Movie

Filmed to accompany the original Fat Lava exhibition (see below), this 16 minute long DVD documentary includes an interview with Graham Cooley, owner of the collection on display, and shows exclusive, panoramic views of the exhibition itself. Read more

Fat Lava Exhibition

In 2006, the first exhibition in the world dedicated to West German ceramics of the 1960s & 70s was held at the King’ Lynn Arts Centre. Spawning and popularising the term ‘Fat Lava’, the exhibition included over 500 different designs from a range of makers including Scheurich, Roth, Ruscha, Otto Keramik and Ceramano. Over 3,500 people from across the UK and Europe visited. This illustrated article includes photographs of the exhibition. Read more

Fat Lava Archive

Journey to the heart of my site and read through my extensive archive of blog posts relating to Fat Lava. Collecting, especially in new areas of research like this, is never static. Many of these posts contain new, confirmed information concerning designers, influences, or makers. This section of my site is updated regularly, so come back. Read more