The collection includes works from famous Kiwi potters including Briar Gardner, Warren Tippett, Len Castle, and Barry Brickell. Photo / Dean Purcell
"Peter was well-known to us at the ASP as an enthusiast for NZ hand-made pottery," said Peter Lange, a member of the ASP.
"His son had only a week to clear Peter's state house before he was locked out. He quickly realised that the pottery collection was outside his capacity to deal with, so he rang us to come and take it away. The alternative would be that it would be dumped in the skip that was due at the end of the week."
Lange arrived at the property with other club members armed with cardboard boxes to remove the collection from the house. They were shocked at how many pieces they found.
Members of the Auckland Studio Potters Society filled six carloads, three with trailers full, to remove the pottery collection. Photo / Dean Purcell
"What met us was almost incomprehensible - pots from floor to ceiling, in every room, on every shelf and in every cupboard," Lange said.
"Thomas mentioned that there were more under the house, and he thought under the hedge in the garden covered with plastic. My first thought was to pick out the most interesting pieces and leave the rest, but I soon became seduced by the sheer volume and eclectic nature of his collection.
"In all we rescued over 4200 pots," Lange said.
"It seems that Peter was an obsessive op-shop purchaser. He would go out by bus for the day, spend $20 or $30, and bring home a plastic bag with 4 or 5 second-hand pots wrapped and stuffed into a plastic bag, which he would then store somewhere on his property.
"It took six car-loads, three with trailers full, to remove the collection."
Lange was so impressed with the collection, he hired a shop on Dominion Rd to showcase it all in an exhibition called STASH, with help from the Albert-Eden Local Board.
The collection includes works from famous Kiwi potters including Briar Gardner, Warren Tippett, Len Castle and Barry Brickell.
Since opening on July 23, more than 100 people had made their way around the store.
Nothing from the collection is for sale; when the exhibition ends it is hoped an art gallery will take the whole collection, to be displayed to the public from time to time. Photo / Dean Purcell
"Every Saturday when I'm there the place is full ... there's usually eight or 10 people around the place, tripping over each other and knocking pots and things, but it's been very popular," Lange said.
Nothing from the collection is for sale; when the exhibition ends Lange hopes that an art gallery will take the whole collection and keep it as an archive to be displayed to the public from time to time. If no galleries come forward, the ASP would likely sell the collection off.
