ROBERT DEBLANDER (1924-2010) - Lot 34

ROBERT DEBLANDER (1924-2010) Obovoid vase with annular neck. Proof in hare's-hair glazed stoneware. Signed DEBLANDER under the base and with the star stamp towards the base. Height: 25cm Provenance: Galerie de l'Ancienne Poste Galerie de l'Ancienne Poste, Toucy. Bibliography and related works: Antoinette Faÿ-Hallé - Robert Deblander, Œuvre céramique - Éditions La Revue de la Céramique et du Verre, Vendin-le-Vieil, 2009. A similar work is reproduced on page 78. A key figure in the post-war ceramic revival, Robert Deblander stands out for the diversity of his creations. His work in earthenware, stoneware and porcelain is marked by the purity of its forms and volumes, as well as by the appearance of its surfaces - monochrome or featuring highly graphic motifs, reflecting his undeniable attraction to abstraction. Trained at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, Deblander completed his apprenticeship with internships in several traditional pottery workshops across France, where he assimilated the ancestral skills that were to form a solid basis for his plastic research. In 1949, he opened his first studio in Neuilly-sur-Seine, where he created earthenware pieces covered with a white tin glaze. Already, his taste for abstraction was evident in his approach to ceramics, marked by a singular formal research and an assertive plastic sensibility. In 1961, Deblander moved to Puisaye, a region with a rich pottery heritage, and began experimenting with stoneware. This marked the beginning of a decisive period in his career: he abandoned all decoration to concentrate on raw material and form, producing both utilitarian pieces and sculpture-like works. He expresses himself through clay in the manner of a sculptor. The result is a series of architecturally demanding pieces that have established him as one of the pioneers of the stoneware revival in France. From the mid-1970s, Deblander also turned to porcelain. After a period of monochromes, his mastery of forms and materials led him to reintroduce decoration in graphic form, extending his reflections on abstraction and the relationship between surface and volume. His career, marked by a rare capacity for self-renewal, enjoyed national and international renown. He has exhibited in many prestigious galleries and institutions, and his work is included in the collections of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Cité de la Céramique in Sèvres. Alongside his creative work, Robert Deblander is also an ardent defender of contemporary ceramics. He is committed to the recognition of his peers, notably through his writings on artists such as Lerat, De Vinck, Derval and Jouve, thus contributing to the promotion of ceramics in all its diversity.