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Lot Essay
After discovering the art of Maurice de Vlaminck at the 1905 Salon des Indépendants, Ambroise Vollard visited Vlaminck's workshop in 1906 and bought all the paintings which were in the artist's atelier. Vollard soon brought him to Asnières to meet André Metthey, encouraging Vlaminck to work with the ceramicist. Along with Georges Rouault, Vlaminck became one of Metthey's most faithful collaborators working with him until 1910 and perhaps even up to 1912. Decorating pieces by the Asnières ceramic ovens, Vlaminck also met another important figure for his future career, Jean Metthey, who would later become the painter's dealer.
The first time Vlaminck's ceramics were exhibited was in March 1907 in Vollard's gallery where the dealer had organised Vlaminck's first one-man show. A main character in the Ecole d'Asnières, Vlaminck's ceramics were also exhibited six months later at the 1907 Salon d'Automne, and continued to be displayed with his paintings at various exhibitions from 1908 to 1910. The Metthey-Vlaminck production can be estimated to about three hundred ceramics, comprising mainly plates, dishes, vases, buttons and a few coffee- or tea-sets.
Despite this prolific collaboration between the ceramicist and Vlaminck, Maïthe Vallès-Bled rightly pointed out that the artist does not mention his ceramics in his writings. She suggests that perhaps Vlaminck saw his decorative ceramics as being purely a technical experiment, reminding us that he placed paintings above all things (M. Vallès-Bled, 'Vlaminck et l'expérience de la céramique', exh. cat. La Céramique Fauve, Musée Matisse, Nice, 1996, p. 114). Nonetheless, Vlaminck's interest in ceramics can be seen from the presence of ceramics within his own workshop and their importance in the decoration of his own house. In contrast to Derain or Van Dongen, Vlaminck's ceramics do not quote his own paintings, but their decorative motifs are rich in colour and stylistically arranged to form an elaborate composition, always agreeing with the ceramic object's curves. It seems that Vlaminck found a new means of expression with which he could respond with more freedom of line and composition.
The first time Vlaminck's ceramics were exhibited was in March 1907 in Vollard's gallery where the dealer had organised Vlaminck's first one-man show. A main character in the Ecole d'Asnières, Vlaminck's ceramics were also exhibited six months later at the 1907 Salon d'Automne, and continued to be displayed with his paintings at various exhibitions from 1908 to 1910. The Metthey-Vlaminck production can be estimated to about three hundred ceramics, comprising mainly plates, dishes, vases, buttons and a few coffee- or tea-sets.
Despite this prolific collaboration between the ceramicist and Vlaminck, Maïthe Vallès-Bled rightly pointed out that the artist does not mention his ceramics in his writings. She suggests that perhaps Vlaminck saw his decorative ceramics as being purely a technical experiment, reminding us that he placed paintings above all things (M. Vallès-Bled, 'Vlaminck et l'expérience de la céramique', exh. cat. La Céramique Fauve, Musée Matisse, Nice, 1996, p. 114). Nonetheless, Vlaminck's interest in ceramics can be seen from the presence of ceramics within his own workshop and their importance in the decoration of his own house. In contrast to Derain or Van Dongen, Vlaminck's ceramics do not quote his own paintings, but their decorative motifs are rich in colour and stylistically arranged to form an elaborate composition, always agreeing with the ceramic object's curves. It seems that Vlaminck found a new means of expression with which he could respond with more freedom of line and composition.