Roger Capron – vivacious Vallauris ceramics

 

ceramic figure sculpture - hopping-by roger-capron a dancing lady in red trousers

‘Hopping’ – Roger Capron

 

 

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Vallauris street sculpture – Roger Capron

 

Capron:  exemplary Mid-Century modernist designer

 

The Mid Century ceramic art of Roger Capron embodied the vibrant spirit and verve of Vallauris and the Cote d’ Azur. He took over an abandoned pottery studio at the age of 24 in Vallauris, France, where he worked with Robert Picault and then Jean Derval. Capron’s ceramic workshop, known as ‘l`Atelier Callis’, contributed to the renaissance of ceramics in Vallauris and at its peak employed over 120 ceramicists. He eventually expanded his production of vases, pitchers and other functional wares to include coffee tables with hand glazed tiles , lamp bases, wall plaques and other interior decor objects along with sculptural statues for public installations. Roger Capron’s pottery venture thrived and experienced considerable benefit from the post war reconstruction period and the explosion of consumerism that followed.

 

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Athena statue – Roger Capron, Vallauris

 

In 1948, two years after Capron had arrived, Picasso at the age of 65, turned his prodigious creative talents towards making pottery at the Madoura ceramic atelier with Suzanne and Georges Ramié in Vallauris. His reputation and poster designs in the early fifties for the annual exhibitions of the Association des Potiers de Vallauris, helped bring attention to the emerging pottery mecca of Vallauris and drew more visitors and artists to the region while also lifting the profile of the modernist ceramic arts.

Capron’s colourful, vivid and spontanoeus ceramic art clearly displayed a Picasso influence, while maintaining a distinctive Capron visage. He was dedicated to the ethos of the ceramic master René Gabriel, which was to “make beauty accessible to everyone.” Capron was one of the first to apply his knowledge of ceramics in the context of semi-industrial production and his ceramic oeuvre included much artistic research and innovation.
Before moving to Vallauris in 1946, he had studied Applied Arts in Paris from 1939 to 1943 and worked as an art teacher in 1945.
His contribution to the promotion of the appeal and beauty of abstract forms and illustration, expressed through the ceramic medium, is undeniable and it’s extremely pleasing to see his ceramic works getting wide recognition now and becoming eminently collectible.

 

 

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Whisky decanter – Roger Capron

 

 

 

l-age-d-or-de-vallauris-carpet-in-stoneware-of-the-hotels-dance-floor-byblos-in-saint-tropez-1968-by-roger-capron-and-jean-derval

 Tiled dance floor mural at Byblos in Saint Tropez, 1968 by Roger Capron and Jean Derval.

 

 

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Tall white pitcher – Roger Capron

 

 

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Roger Capron pitcher

 

 

 

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Red baluster vase – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Free form bowl – Roger Capron

Gallerie Riviera, Paris

 

 

baronette-roger-capron ceramic sculpture

Baroness’ – Roger Capron

rogercapron.com

 

 

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White quad footed ceramic ovoid dish – Roger Capron

 

 

‘Vase Fleur Bleue’ – Roger Capron

le maga.be

 

 

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Ceramic lamp shade – Roger Capron

Sam Kaufman

 

 

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Folded rim ceramic pot – Roger Capron

 

 

claudia abstract bust by Roer Capron

‘Claudia’  ceramic bust – Roger Capron

 

 

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‘Rouge Bottle Set’ – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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White ceramic jug with orange interior glaze – Roger Capron

 

 

female-bird-totem-white-earth-vallauris by Roger Capron

‘Female bird totem’ – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Personnage animal fantastique – Roger Capron

 

 

grand-vase-cornet-par-roger-capron-1960 with black and white geometric decoration

Large cornet vase – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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 ‘Femme au Fauteuil’  folding screen – Roger Capron

1960

 

 

 

grand-profil-raye Roger Capron

‘Grand Profil Raye’ – Roger Capron

 

 

harlequin-roger-capron ceramic scuulpture

‘Harlequin’ – Roger Capron

rogercapron.com

 

 

Ceramic plate - flat-warriors-by-roger-capron-1960

‘Flat Warriors’ plate – Roger Capron

 

 

 

horned-wildlife-roger-capron ceramic abstract bust

‘Horned Wildlife’ – Roger Capron

rogercapron.com

 

iconic-coffee-table-navette-by-roger-capron-circa-1950black-hammered-ceramic-tiles-white-orange-and-red-glazed-details-with-paraffins-technic

Coffee table ‘Navette’  – Roger Capron

 

 

 

capron-bottle-vase turquoise and, green stripes

Bottle vase – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Large ceramic bird plate – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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‘Loiseau in his nest’ – Roger Capron

 

 

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Roger Capron sculptures, Biot, France

 

 

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Vallauris street sculpture – Roger Capron

 

 

 

-roger-capron-vallauris-ceramic-plates-circa-1960-picasso-style

Roger Capron plate

 

 

 

zoomorphic seated figure sculpture

Female zoomorphic raku sculpture Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Ceramic horse sculpture – Roger Capron

 

 

 

recling female sculpture by Roger Capron

Roger Capron – reclining female sculpture

 

 

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Roger Capron ceramic panel

 

 

roger-capron-1922-2006-vase-and-cup-glazed-ceramic

Bowl and vase – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Zoomorphic Rooster – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Mosaic mural – Roger Capron

 

 

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Raku female sculpture – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Femme Gravee Philippe – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Kneeling juggler sculpture by Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Abstract ceramic bust Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Vallauris studio – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Roger Capron

 

 

 

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‘Femme au lit’ – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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Women wearing gown – Roger Capron

 

 

 

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‘Yellow Bird Vase’ – Roger Capron

1958-

Galerie Sandy- Toupenet, Paris

 

 

 

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Zoomorphic fish sculpture – Roger Capron

 

 

 

vase-tripode-dit-vase-molaire-par-roger-capron-sur-artnet

Tripod red vase – Roger Capron

 

 

woman-recto-collombe sculpture by Roger Capron

‘Double Dove’ sculpture bust – Roger Capron

 

Other Vallauris ceramic masters

 

picasso-ceramic-sculpture form Vallauris

Ceramic sculpture – Pablo Picasso

 

 

 

pablo-picasso-spain-malaga-1881-1973-centaur-1955-sculpture-painted-wood

Painted wood ‘Centaur’ sculpture – Picasso

 

 

 

Picasso ceramic essel hermitage-a-saint-petersbourg

Ceramic pitcher – Pablo Picasso

Hermatige, Saint Petersburg

 

 

pol-chambost figural vase

Pol Chombost figural vase

 

 

pablo-picasso-1881-1973-sylvette sculpture bust

‘Sylvette’ sculpture bust – Picasso

 

 

 

pablo-picasso-1-9-5-6-vallauris-exhibition

Vallauris poster by Picasso, 1956

 

 

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Vallauris poster by Picasso, 1957

 

 

 

pablo-picasso-ceramic-mask - Vallauris

Ceramic mask – Pablo Picasso

 

 

 

jean-derval-1925-2010-modernist-vase-ceramic-and-polychrome-enamels

Ceramic bottle with square modernist panel – Jean Derval

 

 

 

god-of-ceramics-francois-raty Ceramic sculptural figure holding a large pot

‘God of Ceramics’ – Francois Raty

( I always wondered what he looked like)

 

 

 

 

jean-derval-abstract-sculptural bottle in copper and white glaze

Abstract sculptural ceramic bottle – Jean Derval

 

 

 

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‘Les Femmes d’Alger’  – Picasso

Christies

 

 

la-guerre-et-la-paix-war-peace-pablo-picasso-1952-18-panels-make-up-this-artwork-installed-in-la-chapelle-romane-vallauris-france

Picasso’s War & Peace mural in the chapel at Vallauris

 

 

 

jean-derval-1925-2010-coupe-fowlin-grog-clay-circa-1961-enamel

‘Pintade’  coupe – Jean Derval

Vallauris, 1961

 

 

 

gilbert-portanier-bottle

Gilbert Portanier

artentique.nl

 

 

 

gilbert-valentin-pitcher green yellow and white

Gilbert Valentin pitcher

 

 

picasso-pitcher unusual style in lack, orange and white

Pitcher – Picasso

 

 

 

vallauris-fish-shaped-earthenware-jug

Vallauris fish jug

Carvajal Auctions

 

 

 

jean-river-tall ceramic-vase

Jean River

 

 

 

lampe-les-archanges-gilbert-valentin-vallauris

Twin figure modernist sculptural lamp base by Gilbert Valentin, France

 

 

 

 

 

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1 Comment

  1. Carlos
    Posted October 2, 2018 at 12:36 am | Permalink

    Ceramic mask – Pablo Picasso

    this is not a ceramic mask….
    is a paper maché mask from a mask atellier.

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  1. By Cruising thru the clayniverse on October 8, 2017 at 6:37 pm

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