Georges Jouve

Georges Jouve (1910–1964) was a major postwar decorative-arts figure who liberated ceramics from academic rules. Nicknamed “Apollo,” he tirelessly explored relationships between form, material, and light, combining utility and ornament, rigour and play. His wide stylistic range—from realism to abstraction—and his signature black glaze quickly set him apart. This illustrated book traces his career from Nyons and Dieulefit to Aix-en-Provence, highlighting iconic pieces such as cylindrical vases and his collaborations with Janette Laverrière, Étienne Noël, and Mathieu Matégot, including La Saladière and the hotel La Résidence in Saint-Louis, Senegal. Present in the major Salons of his time, Jouve emerged as an agent of modernity and, encouraged by Charlotte Perriand, joined the Steph Simon gallery. Equally at ease with small or monumental formats, he produced vases, fountains, tables, and sculptures, using zoomorphic, anthropomorphic, and abstract forms to make ceramics a vibrant, experimental, and timeless modern art, with lasting appeal worldwide today. Text in English and French.