63 - Mado Jolain (1921–2019)

Mado Jolain (1921–2019) Face Bowl Glazed earthenware Signed M. Jolain Date of creation: circa 1955 D31 cm This piece was exhibited at the Musée de la Piscine in Roubaix in 2024 as part of the artist’s retrospective and is reproduced in the exhibition catalog. A leading figure in French ceramics of the 1950s, Mado Jolain made the face one of the central motifs of her work: stylized, outlined features that transform bowls, plates, and vases into canvases for drawing. This bowl offers a characteristic example, where the round form frames the face like a mask. Its significance is heightened by its recent history: presented at La Piscine in Roubaix in 2024, during the retrospective dedicated to the artist, it is reproduced in the exhibition catalog. This exhibition helped reestablish Mado Jolain as one of the leading ceramic artists of her generation.