Author(s): Pierre Staudenmeyer

CERAMICS

The career of Roger Capron (1922-2006), the only French ceramist of his time to have both produced a major body of artistic work and founded a leading one-man business.

After studying under the decorator René Gabriel, Capron set up the Callis ceramics workshop in Vallauris with Robert Picault in 1946, contributing to the renaissance of ceramics and making beauty accessible to all.  It was at this time that the emblematic shapes and representations of his work appeared, such as stylised figures, animal inspirations and suns.  In 1952, he bought a disused pottery and began his industrial adventure, producing glazed tiles, occasional furniture and decorative panels. 

At the end of the ’50s, the commission for a 174 m2 fresco for the Cannes ferry terminal introduced him to architectural ceramics, which he would use in other productions such as the stoneware dance floor at the Byblos hotel in Saint Tropez.

Finally, in the 1980s, Capron embarked on a new line of work, producing unique pieces akin to sculpture.  Based on the original text by Pierre Staudenmeyer, this version is enriched by an exclusive interview between Jacotte Capron and Flavien Gaillard, a specialist in the decorative arts of the 20th century, as well as by an abundant iconography.

Text in French.

TEXT IN FRENCH