La Galerie Nationale showcases the famous, 20th century ceramics collection acquired directly from the artists by the famous international collector Blanchecotte.

The middle of the 20th century was a veritable Golden Age for French ceramics. In the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, France was the country that produced the finest and most forward-looking ceramics in the world.
This exhibition at La Galerie Nationale offers a unique overview of French, post-war ceramics, focusing on independent artists who chose to specialise in art objects of truly outstanding quality rather than pottery for everyday use.

These artists include early trailblazers like Georges Jouve; Roger Capron; the Cloutier brothers; Jacques Blin; Pol Chambost; the 2 Potiers; Picasso; Peter et Denise Orlando; and Jean Lurcat. They were pioneers at a time when ceramic objets d’art were exhibited at world fairs, at the Paris salons and in exclusive art galleries, gaining a status equal to that of fine art.

In their constant search of innovation and originality, these ceramicists created an apparent simplicity, characterised by purity of form, new textures and unusual glazes. Art Deco made its first appearance in the work of a number of ceramic artists in Paris, as they abandoned the inspiration of nature that had typified Art Nouveau and strove to achieve timeless masterpieces.

About La Galerie Nationale
La Galerie Nationale is a gallery specialised in original art and design created by top designers from the 20th century. Few of these original items still exist. The gallery stocks furniture by Jean Prouvé; Pierre Jeanneret; Le Corbusier; Charlotte Perriand; and Gio Ponti. It also has a collection of original paintings by artists including Marco Sitzia; Raoul Dufy; Kandinsky; Warhol; Picasso; Soulages and Jacques Nestle, and sculpture by Henri Laurens and Giacometti.