LOT DETAILS

Materials:

glazed earthenware

Measurements:

24.25 in. (61.60 cm.) (height)

Description:

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Markings:

each signed R. Crevel and with firm's printed marks

Exhibited:

Note: Inspired by current trends in French Surrealism and Russian Avant-Garde painting, Georges Lechavallier-Chevignard transformed the artistic direction of Sèvres in 1920 and hired noted artists and designers to construct the modern vision of the firm. Designs by Félix Aublet, Anne-Marie Fontaine,  Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, and Henri Rapin introduced bold shapes and decorative schemes informed by the latest styles of the era.  René Crevel, a rising star in the Surrealist movement, joined these innovators and began decorating for the Sèvres firm in 1925. Crevel, a youth amongst his artistic peers, was a handsome tragic figure full of passion, creativity and nostalgia. He became a devout follower of André Breton and the Surrealist ideals, while also finding guidance in the principles of Communism. His works exhibited his affinity for the earlier Fauve painters from whom he drew both significant artistic and theoretical inspiration.  Crevel exercised his diverse skills when he collaborated with Paul Follot to design modernist tapestries for the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Moderne in Paris.  His political views and open bisexuality made Crevel a polarizing figure amongst the artists of the time. Tragically, Crevel took his own life just before his 35th birthday, and left behind only a small number of magnificent works in the disciplines of ceramics, tapestry design and the literary arts. A vase with the matching decorative scheme is in the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Literature:

"Les Arts de La Table au Salon des Artistes Décorateurs," Art et Décoration, July 1929 supplement, p. III (for two plates decorated by Crevel) ; Pierre Migennes, "Le IVe Exposition de la Décoration Contemporaine," Art et Décoration, March 1930, p. 90 (for a related tapestry designed by Crevel); Raymond Cogniat, "Technique et Esthetique des Tapis Nouveaux," Art et Décoration, October 1931, supplement p. 124 (for a related tapestry designed by Crevel); P. Lahalle, "La Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres et Ses Dernières Créations," Mobilier et Décoration, February 1928, p. 91 (for the same vase form decorated by Henri Patou); Marie-Rose Carre, "René Crevel: Surrealism and the Individual," Yale French Studies, 1964, pp. 74-86 (for a discussion of Crevel); Renee Winegarten, The New Criterion, February 1987, p. 66 (for a discussion of Crevel); Karen McCready, Art Deco and Modernist Ceramics, London, 1997, p. 72 (for a related vase decorated by Jean Beaumont); Années Folles et Art Deco: Le Renouveau, Paris, 2007, p. 55 (for a discussion of the firm); Liana Paredes, Sèvres Then and Now: Tradition and Innovation in Porcelain, 1750-2000, London, 2009, pp. 108-111 (for a discussion of the firm)