Georges Jouve, France Thence by descent Christie's, Paris, 'Design Vente du Soir', 22 November 2016, lot 174 Acquired from the above by the present owner
Literature
Philippe Jousse and Galerie Jousse Entreprise, Georges Jouve, Paris, 2005, pp. 82, 83, 101
Working out of his studio in Paris (and later in Aix-en-Provence), Georges Jouve produced sculptural ceramics for modernist interiors. Upon the invitation of Jacques Adnet, the director of the Compagnie des Arts Français (CAF), Jouve participated in various salons internationally and within France, including the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs. He created rigorously simple yet soft and playful forms, including plump, contrapposto vessels, rotund pitchers and cylindrical vases. His tireless experimentation of glazes led to a palette of perfect matte blacks, bone whites and joyful pops of lime green, lemony yellow and, occasionally, selenium red. Jouve's ceramics echo the organic modernism of his CAF colleagues, such as Charlotte Perriand and Serge Mouille.