170 - Georges JOUVE (1910–1964)

Georges JOUVE (1910–1964) Rare sculptural lamp with an abstract form, made of black glazed ceramic Signed “Jouve” and bearing the so-called “Alpha” mark Circa 1950 H: 17 cm Georges JOUVE (1910–1964) Born in 1910 into a family of interior designers, he enrolled at the École Boulle, where he earned the nickname “Apollo.” In fact, a teacher at the school had declared, “You are all sons of Apollo.” As a result, the nickname stuck, and his classmates continued to call him by it. He graduated in 1930 and then studied at the Académie Julian and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière before beginning a career as a theater set designer and interior designer for private clients. His career was cut short by World War II; he fled in 1943 and took refuge in Nyons with his wife, Jacqueline. His shift to ceramics signaled a return to the earth and to traditions deeply rooted in folk art, as well as to the tradition of the santons of Dieulefit, where he enlisted the services of Jacques Courtier to fire his pieces. It was also at this time that he began sending pieces to Paris, notably to the 1944 Salon de l’Imagerie, where he was noticed by Jacques Adnet, who exhibited some of his works through the Compagnie des Arts Français. At the end of the war, he returned to Paris and set up his studio on Rue de la Tombe-Issoire, where ceramic artists such as Guidette Carbonell and Jacques Pouchol recognized him as a master. In fact, he was a frequent participant in various exhibitions organized by the Action artistique française, notably those in Rio in 1946, Barcelona in 1947, Milan and Helsinki in 1948, Cairo, Toronto, Montreal, and Lisbon in 1949; Rome in 1950; Ostend in 1959; Munich in 1960; and Washington in 1961. He also participated in various salons for decorative artists and arts and crafts exhibitions. His works were also regularly featured in the interior design magazines of the time. In 1954, he moved to Le Pigonnet in Aix-en-Provence, where he died in 1964 from the effects of his exposure to lead used in his glazes. Various galleries paid tribute to him, notably the Demeure-Rive Gauche Gallery and the Steph Simon Gallery in 1964; the exhibition “Europäische Keramik seit 1950” at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg in 1979; and the Jousse-Seguin, which held a major retrospective featuring over 200 pieces in 1995. “For the black, the glaze was a Parisian glaze—a simple black... We applied the glaze fairly thickly, just before it started to run—well, not too thick, but as thickly as possible—and then we etched it with acid. We etched it a little to get a surface that was slightly less smooth—or rather, a little rougher—and sometimes we waxed it very lightly, but immediately after applying the acid because the acid dried it out, so we had to re-moisten it just a tiny bit, but we never told people to wax them—especially never.” Jacqueline Jouve