Pierre Guariche (1926 – 1995)

Pierre Guariche was a student of Rene Gabriel at the school of the decorative arts. During this scholarship he worked for Marcel Gascoin where he met Michel Mortier and Joseph-Andre Motte. In 1951 he set up his own successful business, and created models for famous editors like Airborne, Steiner, Huchers-Minvielle, or Disderot and Luminalite for the lamps.

In 1953 he created with his friends M. Mortier and J-A Motte, l'atelier de recherche plastique  (A.R.P.). In 1957 the 3 friends stopped their collaboration and Pierre Guariche went to Belgium to manage the design department of a furniture manufacturer: Meurop.

Rewarded for his work on numerous occasions, as the prestigious Ren Gabriel prize in 1965, he is considered today as one of the most talented of the young generation of designers emerging at the beginning of 1950s.

Joseph Andre Motte (1925)

J.A. Motte was valedictorian of his class at the school of "Arts Appliques a lindustrie" of Paris in 1948, and was immediately hired by the design office of the parisian department store "Le Bon Marche". After 2 years he went to work for Marcel Gascoin where he met Michel Mortier and Pierre Guariche. Together, they created l'atelier de recherche plastique  (A.R.P.), but he also created his own agency. He worked a lot for the public sector: he achieved the interior design of major French airports, like Orly, Roissy, Lyon Satolas, he decorated administration buildings like the Cergy-Pontoise Prefecture, the Grenoble town home. For the Parisian metro, he designed a seat which is still a benchmark nowadays.

In the fifties, Joseph Andre Motte was the most prolific designer and was famous for the quality of its furniture. He created modern but affordable furniture. Thats why for example he used rattan or formica, but always with exceptional artistic skills.

Pierre Paulin (1927)

Pierre Paulin studied at first ceramic in Vallauris, before choosing design and becoming integrated at the Ecole Camondo in Paris. During his student years he made a short internship at Marcel Gascoins atelier (at the same time than Pierre Guariche and Michel Mortier). He liked Gascoins idea of design for a simpler way of life, but the real "revelation" for him was the work of Charles Eames.  In 1952, Pierre Paulin's first designs caught the attention of the public. A special issue of the magazine "Art et Decoration" and the cover of "Maison Francaise" confirmed the success at that time.

In 1953, he began designing furniture for Thonet-France, through which he discovered and mastered new materials and worked mostly on commercial projects. In 1957, he designed for Thonet a revolutionary low seat made of foam and covered with colored jersey. He said that he got the idea of this new technology when looking at the swimming suits hugging the womens body.

It is only in 1958, after responding to Harry Wagemans' invitation to join the Dutch firm Artifort, that Paulin found the means and the support he needed to extend the production of his designs. In his concern for simplicity and refusal of any lyrical effect, his designs were given numbers. Nowadays, almost 50 years later, many of these pieces are still in production, and have become definitive, signature works of international mid-century furniture design.

Pierre Paulin reached the height of celebrity with his interiors of French President George Pompidous Elysee and his furniture display at the Louvre.

Roger Capron (1922) 

Capron was born in Paris in 1922. After graduating from the Ecole des Arts Appliques in Paris he eventually became a professor at the school. In 1947, he moved to a small town near Cannes: Vallauris, well known for its ceramics production. Shortly after his arrival, he purchased a factory which produced ceramic items for the home.

In 1948, Pablo Picasso began to work ceramic in Vallauris and to brought international media attention. Before long, Vallauris became the city of renewal in ceramics.

Capron befriended Pablo Picasso and this friendship certainly liberated his creativity. He created what is now known as the "free forms" style in ceramics, introducing modern biomorphic shapes and he worked on colours with bright and colourful glazes on vases, platters and wall tiles. He also produced a popular line of tile topped coffee tables that became symbolic of the south of France "art de vivre".

Today, Capron continues to create and, for almost 12 years now, produces with his wife Jacotte, figurative ceramic art sculptures.

Capron ceramics are among the most sought after collectibles in the mid-century market.

Pol Chambost (1906-1983)

Graduate from "l'Ecole des Arts Appliques de Paris" Pol Chambost chose ceramic and in 1925 began to design dinner sets and dishes for the Parisian department stores.

After WWII, his collaboration with Georges Jouve liberated his creativity, and he was an admirable interpreter of free forms. He worked also in Vallauris with Roger Capron for the conception and colors of firing glazing.  

In 1956 he designed its bamboo line, a whole set of ceramic dishes and vases imitating bamboo. He gave up his complex forms and headed toward very pure and simple designs.

In 1965, at 59 he settled in Perigord and worked on his research about enamel. There he made his famous enameled eggs.

The rating of this artist climbs regularly.

Pottery Vallauris

Since Roman times, Vallauris, near Cannes, has been known as one of the most important centers forceramics production in Europe.

In 1948, Pablo Picasso moved to the Madura pottery in Vallauris and began a new activity as ceramist. It brought international media attention to the city and, before long  Vallauris became a destination for ceramic artists worldwide.

Famous ceramists like Robert Picault, Jean Derval, Roger Capron, Jean Marais contributed to the popularity of Vallauris.

Pottery Accolay (1945 – 1983)

In 1945, four friends: A. BOUTAUD, Louis DANGON, Slavic PALEY and RAUDE moved from the professional school of Macon, where they had learned ceramics with teachers as famous as Alexandre Kostanda, to an abandoned ceramics factory in ACCOLAY, Burgundy, France.

They began to produce ceramic jewelleries and buttons, and became successful through an order of 300 buttons for Christian DIOR "New Look" collection in 1946.

The little workshop gets larger, or more exactly the community of 80 people sharing the same activity, religion and ideology. But ceramic buttons were rapidly out of fashion and the community started to produce vases, tableware, lamps

In 1952, the production was very important, combining technical innovations and various inspirations derived from political, cultural or sociological events, yet not devoid of humour and fantasy. The ACCOLAY production was sold on the national roads RN6 and RN7, and thus enormous quantities of ceramic pieces were offered.

In the 70s, Accolay production tried to adapt to the new market, resin and metal replaced ceramic, but little by little the production declined and the adventure came to an end in 1983.