Otto Keramik

From West German pottery to contemporary design

Few names connect the golden age of West German pottery with the present quite like Otto Keramik.

Founded in Rheinbach, Germany, in 1964 by ceramicist Otto Gerharz Sr., the pottery became known for bold sculptural forms and extraordinary experimental glazes — particularly the thick, flowing and highly textured surfaces now associated with the Fat Lava movement.

More than sixty years later, Otto Keramik is still producing pottery in Rheinbach, with Otto Gerharz Jr. continuing the family business and its distinctive approach to ceramic design.

It is this combination of heritage and continuing production that makes Otto particularly interesting to us at Three Craws Collectables.

Before Otto – the Ruscha connection

The story really begins before Otto Keramik itself existed.

In 1951, Otto Gerharz Sr. joined Ruscha, one of the important names in post-war West German ceramics, as works manager. According to the City of Rheinbach's historical archive, Gerharz was responsible for developing the glazes subsequently used by the company and played an important role in Ruscha's reputation for artistically designed ceramics.

It was here that Gerharz developed the deep understanding of glaze chemistry that would later become fundamental to Otto Keramik.

Designer Kurt Tschörner was another important figure at Ruscha. When Gerharz left to establish his own pottery, Tschörner followed, beginning a creative relationship that helped establish the sculptural language of early Otto Keramik.

Otto Keramik is born

In 1964, Otto Gerharz Sr. established Otto Keramik in Rheinbach.

Rather than moving towards mass production, the pottery remained deliberately small and craft-led. Gerharz continued experimenting with glaze formulations, developing richly layered surfaces in fiery reds and oranges, deep blues, greens and earthy browns.

In 1970, Otto Keramik moved to larger premises on Industriestraße in Rheinbach — the location from which the pottery still operates today.

The magic is in the glaze

One of the defining characteristics of Otto Keramik is the glaze.

Thick applications, flowing layers and chemical reactions during firing create surfaces that can appear almost molten. Colours merge, bubble, drip and develop texture in the kiln, producing the volcanic appearance collectors associate with Fat Lava ceramics.

Crucially, the results aren't completely controllable.

Otto Gerharz Jr. describes valuing precisely this unpredictable element: the chemical reactions taking place during firing mean that individual pieces develop their own characteristics.

That's why two Otto bulls, birds or vases made from the same form and finished in the same glaze can still look noticeably different.

For us, that's part of their appeal.

A short Otto Keramik timeline

1951 — Ruscha
Otto Gerharz Sr. becomes works manager at Ruscha, where his development of ceramic glazes plays an important role in the company's artistic success.

1964 — Otto Keramik founded
Gerharz establishes his own pottery in Rheinbach, Germany. Designer Kurt Tschörner joins him, helping establish the forms and visual identity associated with the pottery.

1970 — Industriestraße
Otto Keramik moves to its workshop on Industriestraße in Rheinbach, providing greater space for production and Gerharz's continuing glaze experimentation.

1970s — The Fat Lava era
Layered, flowing and heavily textured glazes become an increasingly important feature of West German ceramics. Otto Keramik's experimental glaze work places it firmly within the movement now known to collectors as Fat Lava.

1994 — The next generation
Otto Gerharz Jr. takes over responsibility for production, continuing his father's approach while developing further glaze treatments.

1996 — Ruscha closes
When Ruscha finally closes, Otto Keramik acquires a selection of its historic designs, preserving another link between the two potteries.

Today — Still made in Rheinbach
Otto Keramik remains in production under Otto Gerharz Jr. Pieces continue to be individually handcrafted, glazed and fired in Rheinbach. The City of Rheinbach describes Otto as the only remaining ceramic producer in the town with roots extending back to its important post-war ceramics industry.

Bulls, birds, elephants – and a whole family of characters

Although collectors know Otto Keramik for its vases and extraordinary glazes, its sculptural animals have become an equally distinctive part of the pottery's identity.

The wonderfully stylised bulls, birds, elephants and other animal forms combine simple mid-century lines with Otto's dramatic glaze treatments.

A single form can take on a completely different personality depending upon its glaze. A bull in fiery orange Fat Lava can appear bold and exuberant; the same form in a restrained matt finish becomes an altogether more architectural object.

The animals are still individually handcrafted, rather than being identical mass-produced ornaments. Otto currently produces several bull forms, for example, including the 1010, 1011, 1012, 1013 and 1017.

Vintage or contemporary?

This is one of the most interesting things about collecting Otto Keramik.

Both exist.

Vintage Otto ceramics survive from the pottery's earlier decades and are collected alongside other important West German ceramics of the period.

But Otto Keramik never disappeared.

The pottery continues to produce ceramics today, using its established forms, glaze knowledge and hand-finishing techniques. Contemporary Otto pieces therefore shouldn't be described as vintage simply because the design has mid-century origins.

Instead, they represent something rather unusual: contemporary German studio pottery with a direct connection to the original West German ceramics movement.

Why no two are quite the same

The individuality of an Otto piece isn't necessarily an imperfection.

Variations in glaze thickness, colour, texture, bubbles and the way the glaze flows across a form can result naturally from the handmade glazing and firing process.

Otto Keramik itself emphasises that each piece is individually handcrafted and that the unpredictable reactions of glaze during firing contribute to the uniqueness of the finished ceramic.

For collectors, those variations are part of what makes choosing an Otto piece so enjoyable.

You aren't simply choosing a model and a colour.

You're choosing your one.

Why we chose Otto Keramik

Otto Keramik feels particularly at home at Three Craws Collectables.

We love the connection with the great period of West German ceramics, but equally love that this isn't simply a story from the past.

These are ceramics still being made in Germany today, by a pottery founded in 1964, with the second generation of the Gerharz family continuing the tradition.

Then there are the pieces themselves.

The fabulous glazes. The wonderfully sculptural vases. Those unmistakable bulls. The birds. The elephants. And the inevitable problem of deciding which colours to choose.

They sit beautifully alongside genuine vintage West German pottery while bringing something contemporary to the collection — a nod back to the ceramics of the 1960s and 70s, but still very much alive today.

That's exactly the sort of design story that catches a Craw's eye.

Whether you're already a collector of West German ceramics or you've simply spotted an Otto bull and fallen for it, we hope you'll enjoy discovering the collection.