Roger Capron - Roger Capron - Coffee table - Ceramic

Coffee table, Vallauris ceramic, signed Roger Capron, 1960s – France

Designer: Roger Capron
Materials: Metal and Vallauris ceramic
Period: 1960s
Country of origin: France
Good condition considering age and use
Dimensions: 42 x 80 x 41 cm.

Impressive low coffee table, rectangular-profile coffee table designed and signed by Roger Capron in the 1960s. The metal frame features slender, delicate semicircular legs on each side. Between them is a fine metal grille that can serve as a magazine rack or to hold small items. The top is composed of Vallauris ceramic pieces with a geometric pattern that combines different square and rectangular shapes on a black background, playing with colors (pink, green, and yellow). The top view could be compared to a painting due to its unique design. Roger Capron was a designer especially renowned for his work in ceramics. Indeed, he was one of the ceramicists who conquered Vallauris and restored prestige and glamour to this town on the Côte d’Azur.

Roger Capron (Vincennes, France, 1922 – Cannes, France, 2006)

Roger Capron graduated in 1943 from the Paris School of Applied Arts. In 1952 he founded his own workshop in Vallauris, ‘l’Atelier Callis’, and rubbed shoulders with artists like Picasso. His work was soon recognized internationally. His wife, Jacotte, studied art and became a valuable collaborator for him.

Thanks to his experience in blending pigments and glazes, Capron’s most famous ceramics feature dazzling colors and whimsical characters. Like Picasso, he experimented with many artistic styles and never stuck to one technique for long.

However, his coffee tables with intricate geometric shapes and vibrant colors are also highly relevant. These mid-century furnishings, with pleasing palettes and playful arrangements of abstract shapes or patterns from the natural world, are both accessible and sophisticated. They are inspired by Scandinavian modernism and illustrate the Parisian ceramist’s belief that beautiful objects should be easy and widely accessible. He aimed to make ceramics popular, within everyone’s reach, and was one of the few artists who moved from craft to industry without losing an ounce of passion. This obsession led him to decorate many public buildings in southern France, including the Cannes maritime station, for which he created a decorative mural. The Nîmes theater and the luxurious Byblos hotel in Saint-Tropez also housed his works.

Stoneware made him obsessed with designing tables and panels with color mosaics and boundless imagination. His coffee tables, side tables, and decorative objects are among the most enduring and coveted designs of the mid-century modern era.

He was awarded at the Milan Triennale in 1954 and the Grand Prix International de la Céramique in 1970. His works have been exhibited at the National Ceramic Museum and the Magnelli Museum.

About Vallauris ceramics

Vallauris was a pottery center that experienced significant growth in the mid-19th century thanks to the arrival of the railway. It came to be established as a ceramic hub with the arrival of post-impressionist and modern painters, such as Chagall or Picasso, who looked to the Oriental and primitive for inspiration. With this came the emergence of large factories and a true industrial and commercial organization in ceramic production.

Since Gallo-Roman times, Vallauris pottery has stood out for culinary ceramics. Pots, pots, and jugs have enhanced Vallauris’ international reputation, especially due to the material’s resistance to high temperatures. Picasso’s arrival in the 1950s elevated Vallauris to the status of the capital of French ceramics, attracting many artists eager to learn the art of fire. Vallauris pottery is of first-rate quality both in material and design.

Product shipping will be paid by the buyer according to dimensions, weight, and destination. Shipping charges include professional custom packaging; and personalized shipping with tracking number and guarantee. DUE TO THE SIZE AND FRAGILITY OF THE PIECE, ARRANGING SHIPMENT WITH THE BUYER IS PREFERRED. CURRENT COSTS ARE ESTIMATED.

The buyer will be responsible for paying import duties and related taxes in the destination country, if any. Please note the seller’s liability disclaimer regarding potential customs charges, as they are charged in the destination country and the amount to pay is determined by that country’s customs. If an export permit is required, the costs are borne by the buyer. Cost depends progressively on the value of the work to be exported.