ROGER CAPRON (1922-2006) IN VALLAURIS - Lot 12

ROGER CAPRON (1922-2006) IN VALLAURIS A 7, circa 1955-1956 Sculptural lamp base. White glazed ceramic proof. Marked A7 towards the base. Height: 33cm Provenance: Galerie Thomas Fritsch, Paris. Important: A certificate of authenticity dating the work and issued by Jacotte Capron, wife and successor in title of the artist, will be given to the buyer. Exhibition: Roger Capron - Génie du trait - Musée de la Poterie Méditerranéenne, Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie, from April 7 to October 31, 2023. Our work exhibited during this event. Bibliography: - Pierre Staudenmeyer - Roger Capron, céramiste - Éditions Norma, Paris, 2023. A model from the same series as our work is reproduced on page 37. - Roger Capron - Génie du trait - Catalogue of the exhibition organized at the Musée de la Poterie Méditerranéenne (April 7 - October 31, 2023), Éditions Musée de la Poterie Méditerranéenne, Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie, 2024. Our work reproduced on page 33. Trained at the École des Arts Appliqués in Paris, where he rubbed shoulders with Robert Picault (1919-2000) and Jean Derval (1925-2010), his future associates, Roger Capron was profoundly influenced by his teacher René Gabriel (1899-1950), a leading figure in design, who introduced him to the logic of mass production and the importance of marketing - founding principles of his ceramic work. In 1946, he joined Picault in Vallauris, where they settled and discovered traditional local ceramics - before crossing paths with Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), a key figure in the ceramic revival to which they were all to contribute. With Picault, they founded the Callis workshop, which Derval joined in 1947. In the early 1950s, Capron opened his own workshop, where he developed a production of mass-produced pieces with a high level of craftsmanship. Using the casting technique he learned from Gilbert Valentin (1928-2000), he gradually abandoned turning to better control the regularity of his pieces. His first creations, with their free, cast contours, are quite recognizable and present a repertoire of motifs and shapes that will remain regular throughout his career and his experimentation with new techniques. His characteristic reserve decoration of lines and grids appeared as early as 1953, along with the white enameling that was to make him such a success. Capron's work was distributed via a graphic catalog and a network of department stores around the world, giving him a high profile. By 1957, Capron's business had grown to employ more than 40 people, including his wife Jacotte (born 1935), with whom he worked for several decades. At the same time, he presented his unique pieces at exhibitions such as the Salon des Métiers d'Art, where he met Georges Jouve (1910-1964), Norbert Pierlot (1919-1979) and Line Vautrin (1913-1997). From 1963 onwards, Roger Capron turned his attention to ceramic tiles, used for furniture and above all for the creation of large architectural panels, which adorned public and private buildings - fully integrating ceramics into the built environment and everyday life. His projects and clients include the Cannes ferry terminal, the Nîmes theater, the Byblos hotel and the Hôtel de la Pinède in Saint-Tropez. His production evolved and was enriched by new decors and techniques. Then, in the 1980s, after his company filed for bankruptcy, Capron entered a new, more artistic phase. He devoted himself to unique, sculptural pieces, in which he reinterpreted his iconic motifs, sometimes in the round, returning to a freer, more personal expression. His work was exhibited on numerous occasions throughout France and Europe, even after his death in 2006. Roger Capron remains an emblematic figure of post-war Vallauris; his contribution to the history of 20th-century ceramics and design is undisputed.