Grande Chouette •
1960
Céramique émaillée, circa 1960
- H: 27 cm
- L: 14.5 cm
- P: 12 cm
When Nicole Guy met Michel Anasse in 1955, they were 18 and 20 years old.
She had arrived from Bresse to work in Paris; he, trained in drawing by his father, was already exploring clay modelling, tapestry, and metal sculpture alongside Stahly and Philolaos. His stays in Vallauris and La Borne, beginning in 1953, placed him at the heart of the post-war ceramic revival.
In 1956, they settled in a small cabin in Vallauris, which they transformed into a studio. There, they built their own furniture, threw their tableware, developed their glazes, and constructed their first wood-fired kiln. Their shared practice took shape through a refusal of serial production, a focus on unique pieces, and a constant dialogue between clay, fire, and sculpture. The couple became part of the Vallauris artistic community - Derval, Capron, Portanier - and met Picasso in 1957. In the 1960s, their studio became a space for exchange and experimentation, and in 1965 Michel received the Malraux Prize at the Paris Biennale.
From 1973 onward, they settled in the Ubaye valley, where they developed more monumental forms and built several wood-fired kilns. Between 1978 and 1994, Michel completed numerous public commissions. In 2003, they opened a new studio along the Ubaye river, a place dedicated to creation and transmission.
En 2003, ils ouvrent un nouvel atelier au bord de l’Ubaye, espace de création et de transmission.
Nicole passed away in 2012. Michel continued working until 2020, still drawing and sculpting, faithful to a life wholly devoted to material and gesture.
In 1956, they settled in a small cabin in Vallauris, which they transformed into a studio. There, they built their own furniture, threw their tableware, developed their glazes, and constructed their first wood-fired kiln. Their shared practice took shape through a refusal of serial production, a focus on unique pieces, and a constant dialogue between clay, fire, and sculpture. The couple became part of the Vallauris artistic community - Derval, Capron, Portanier - and met Picasso in 1957. In the 1960s, their studio became a space for exchange and experimentation, and in 1965 Michel received the Malraux Prize at the Paris Biennale.
From 1973 onward, they settled in the Ubaye valley, where they developed more monumental forms and built several wood-fired kilns. Between 1978 and 1994, Michel completed numerous public commissions. In 2003, they opened a new studio along the Ubaye river, a place dedicated to creation and transmission.
En 2003, ils ouvrent un nouvel atelier au bord de l’Ubaye, espace de création et de transmission.
Nicole passed away in 2012. Michel continued working until 2020, still drawing and sculpting, faithful to a life wholly devoted to material and gesture.
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