55 - François Belliard

François Belliard Box Raku 1992 H28 L13.5 cm In good original condition; some chips visible in the photos Included is a bottle by François Belliard, in need of restoration Born in Tours in 1949, François Belliard studied printmaking at the École des Beaux-Arts in Rouen before settling in the Loire Valley with ceramicist Agnès His. There, he practiced raku, a technique of Japanese origin in which the piece, removed from the kiln while still incandescent, is smoked and then rapidly cooled, producing unpredictable crackling and blackening effects. His work, “a blend of whimsy and precision,” is featured in the definitive reference book on the national collection of contemporary French ceramics. Belliard subsequently devoted himself to the art of furniture design, which gives his ceramics from the 1990s a special place in his career. Bibliography: Antoinette Faÿ-Hallé, *Fifty Years of French Ceramics (1955–2005): A National Collection*, Paris, RMN, 2005, pp. 161 and 353.