The Grainer Collection: A Life in Craft

For more than 45 years, Marc and Diane Grainer have been avid collectors of British craft, filling their Washington DC home with museum-quality ceramics, furniture, metalwork, jewellery, textiles and woodwork. Now, Maak is presenting ‘A Life in Craft: The Grainer Collection’. Some 300 works will be offered across two sales during London Craft Week (10–15 May) – ‘Contemporary Ceramics’ and ‘Contemporary Craft’ – and the couple are donating a percentage of the proceeds to the Crafts Council. Isabella Smith spoke to the Grainers to find out more.

Where did your passion for British craft begin? 

Marc: We started collecting when we were first married, little bit by little bit. We came to London for the first time in 1977 and in ’78 bought our first piece of British pottery.

Diane: In 1985, Marc began working one month in London, one month in Washington DC; he went back and forth for about 15 years. We went on holiday to St Ives and absolutely loved it. Everywhere we went, there was an artisan making ceramics.

We began to travel the country – Bath, Oxford, Bovey Tracey – to meet craftspeople and buy work. When Marc travelled from the US to the UK, he’d bring over cardboard boxes to fill with pieces to bring home. The immigration people were always baffled by those huge empty boxes!

What was it that particularly appealed to you?

Marc: We collected American craft, too, but British work was much more affordable. It also tended to be technically better made. At that time, people in the UK would collect antiques and so on. But when it came to craft, they would always ask: ‘Is this really art?’ To which my answer was: ‘It's much more like art than a lot of art out there.’

You’ve collected craft for almost five decades. What kept you hooked?

Marc: It wasn’t just that we liked how it looked – it was the way you could live with it. Also, when you’re a real collector, you just can’t stop.

Diane: The work is very appealing. Plus, we got to know all the artists, the gallerists, the people who shared our interest. It’s not simply buying pieces – it’s a whole interpersonal thing.

How did you first encounter Crafts Council?

Marc: I was already involved with various friends’ organisations connected to craft in the US. I was chairing the board of trustees for the American Crafts Council and met [former Crafts Council director] Rosy Greenlees through some collaborative projects. I joined the UK Crafts Council’s advisory board for the first edition of Collect art fair, which took place in 2004. Rosy and Diane became great friends.

What are your favourite pieces in the auction?

Marc: There’s a chair by John Makepeace that really is stellar. Beyond that, there’s work by a lot of different artists we love – Gordon Baldwin, John Ward and Carol McNicoll in particular.

Diane: For me, it’s the rugs by Breon O’Casey and Stella Benjamin. I love them, but we’re downsizing and I’d rather someone else enjoyed them than hide them away in storage. Marijke [Varrall-Jones, director of Maak] has been fantastic in putting the sale together. We're tickled by the idea that these pieces will live new lives in other people’s homes. We have also gifted hundreds of works to various museums in the United States.

What motivated you to donate a proportion of sales to the CC?

Marc: We're concerned about what's happening with the Crafts Council – funding is drying up everywhere you look. There's a retrenchment happening on both sides of the pond.

When you see the economic benefits that craft can create for a nation, it's just amazing. A very small investment can bring large dividends. We hope the donation might act as seed money; it's so important that an organisation like the Crafts Council exists.

Contemporary Ceramics featuring The Grainer Collection will take place 10 - 15 May 2025. Bidding will open on 10 May 2025 11:00 BST, please see Maak website here for more information.