Liebermann Pottery and Tiles was started in 1954 in an old garage, on a flower farm, in a then rural part of Johannesburg called Kelvin. The founders, Sammy and Mary Liebermann had met in London, he abandoned law school to join her, working at Chelsea Pottery.
He was South African born and of Lithuanian Jewish descent and she was thoroughly English. The first wares made in South Africa still carried the Chelsea Pottery mark. The first kiln was a square top loader which they brought on the ship together with the first of their children.
During the early days the first APSA (Association of Potters South Africa) was hosted at the Liebermann Homestead.
In 1966 they acquired the factory, Silkwood ceramics, located in Kramerville.
The pottery was booming. The iconic tableware was a combination of Sammy’s love for throwing, Mary’s fine sensibilities and Sammy’s passion for teaching. Mining was in both their bloodlines and they sourced all their materials from local mines. Today many South African throwers can trace their lineage back to Sammy.
Mary headed the tile department, her range of silkscreened tiles became so popular, almost every old house across South Africa, has some somewhere.
In 1978 the firm moved to larger premises in Wynberg. The showrooms overflowed and a shop was opened in Sandton City. Liebermann begun supplying chain stores, Garlicks and Stuttafords.
During these years it rose to become the largest South African studio pottery.
After Sammy’s death in 1984 the business suffered uncertain times and moved hands to Adriaan Turgel, Sammy’s nephew. To save the Pottery from politically driven labour issues and increasingly overwhelming overheads the downscale of production began.
Adriaan is the Pottery Detective, using his discerning eye he has scoured the globe for beautiful pots and has found a market for the large wood-fired traditional Asian wares that now make up the main lines the Pottery carries.
In 1993 the Wynberg Pottery split into a smaller factory in Marlboro East and a show room at the Gas Works in Johannesburg and this branch is currently open.
A new branch for a now tremendous collection of both Pottery and tiles was bought in 2012 in Kommetjie, Capetown. The Pottery is still a family run business with all the quirks and love you may expect from a family.
A small studio section is still dedicated to the making of Pottery and this is run by Lisa Liebermann, Sammy’s daughter.
