Edmund de Waal

Edmund de Waal is a British artist, writer, and ceramicist best known for his work in porcelain and his acclaimed family memoir The Hare with Amber Eyes (2010). Born in 1964, he studied English at the University of Cambridge before pursuing a career in ceramics. His work often explores themes of memory, history, and material culture, frequently incorporating minimalist porcelain installations that engage with space and light.

Writing:

His best-known book, The Hare with Amber Eyes, traces the history of his family, the Ephrussis, a wealthy Jewish banking dynasty that lost much of its fortune during the Nazi era. The book, structured around a collection of Japanese netsuke (miniature carvings), is a deeply personal exploration of loss, identity, and cultural inheritance.

He followed this with The White Road: Journey into an Obsession (2015), which investigates the history of porcelain, blending memoir, travel writing, and cultural history. His most recent book, Letters to Camondo (2021), is a series of imagined letters to the Jewish art collector Moïse de Camondo, reflecting on loss, art, and legacy.

Art & Ceramics:

As a ceramicist, de Waal’s works are exhibited internationally in galleries and museums, often involving delicate porcelain vessels arranged in precise, meditative compositions. His art engages with themes of collecting, minimalism, and the passage of time.