A Spotlight on Ceramics

Water, earth, and fire. The three natural elements that create ceramics have been magnified with centuries of craftsmanship and artistic talent. This material is natural, and its practice is artisanal. It’s no surprise, then, that the popularity of this field continues unabated. Paris Design Week will vibrate in tune with the energy of this enthusiasm. All honor will be paid to its great masters, since Etude Tajan is planning an auction on September 19th  of ceramics from the 1950s, which was the golden age of this craft. “50 Ceramics from the ‘50s” will bring us a succession of prestigious pieces from Picasso, Georges Jouve, Colette Guéden, and Suzanne Ramié. The pieces up for sale will be on view starting on September 7th. At 200 Boulevard Saint-Germain, Rémi Bracquemond will launch his first Volume Céramics gallery after thirty years of selling online. This gallery will feature limited editions from a selection of international designers, with vases, sculptures, lighting fixtures, and even bas-reliefs since the gallery puts its artists to work for interior designers. Another participating gallery will be Hors-séries céramiques on rue Saint-Honoré, which is run by three ceramic aficionados. Their abundant selection of rare contemporary pieces is rigorous. A single detail, the shimmer of enamel, the poetry of a certain shape…their choices are dictated exclusively by emotion. 

At schools, there’s no shortage of candidates for training in this field. Marie Fleury heads up the International Training Center for Fine Craft and Ceramics (AME CNIFOP) in Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye. This land of pottery makers located between Dijon and Orléans, situated atop sandstone deposits, offers a unique school dedicated to the arts of the kiln. “We’ve noticed a real craze for our craft, whether it’s for short courses or longer training”, she says. “Many people want to change professions, and there’s a marked desire for manual work.” The two top students from the enamel-makers’ and ceramic designers’ courses, respectively, will have the privilege of exhibiting at Paris Design Week Factory. Top training courses include that of Ecole Duperré, which is also one of the oldest, since its ceramics department has existed since it was founded in the 19th century. This school features the oldest wooden kiln still in operation in Paris…just as it does a brand-new 3D ceramic printer. Though firmly rooted in tradition, their course of study also explores new terrain. Students are invited to collaborate with their peers in the fashion department, and we can see, for example, a blossoming of porcelain embellishments on sporty footwear. The Ecole will open its doors during Paris Design Week for an exhibition of its second-year students’ collaboration with the Manufacture de Longwy. These students have learned cloisonné enamel techniques so they can use them in innovative ways and thus ensure the future of this fine art. Come discover the results of this experiment on September 5th and 16th at rue Dupetit-Thouars in the Marais.