Art world pays tribute to a Shropshire-based sculptural potter hailed as one of the greatest and most influential of his era

World-renowned ceramicist Gordon Baldwin, from Market Drayton, where he had a basement studio, has died at the age of 92.

Recognised as a major figure in British modernism, his works were exhibited internationally and are in collections across the world.

Among his many awards were an OBE in 1992 and an honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art in 2000.

He influenced generations of artists through his teaching – at Eton College, where he also ran the art department for decades, at Goldsmiths College, and at the Central School of Art and Design.

He was credited with being a leading figure in moving ceramics away from functional pots towards sculptural forms.

An unusual claim to fame arose from the days when television broadcasting featured an interlude, one of the best remembered being “The Potter’s Wheel.”