Rare Fishermen With Crates Of Fish - Caujan - Hb Quimper - Brittany

Polychrome earthenware, circa 1930.


François-Marie Caujan, known as Fanch (1902 - 1945):
Son of a cabinetmaker, he took drawing classes from Paul Léonard in Brest. He then entered the École Régionale des Beaux-Arts in Nantes in the workshops of Fougerat, Simon, Stany-Gauthier. Following his Breton studies, he passed the entrance exam for the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1924, having completed his studies, he moved to Brest and made friends in Saint-Pol-Roux. He participated in the creation of a group of artists called "la phalange bretonne" which included Jim Sévellec, among others. In 1925, he participated in the Decorative Arts Exhibition. In 1926 and 1927, he was present in many Parisian Salons: Independent Artists, Salon d'Automne, National Salon of Fine Arts and that of the Tuileries. It is undoubtedly also at this time that we must place the beginning of his collaboration with the Manufacture HB. We can think that Caujan's friendship with Quillivic explains the choice of this Manufacture. He pursued his artistic career both regionally (Union artistique de Quimper in 1935), nationally (Exposition of Arts and Techniques of 1937, exhibition at the Petit Palais 1939), and internationally (Algiers 1934, New York 1939). He died in Landerneau in an accident in 1945. He will publish pieces under his name François Caujan and pieces under the pseudonym Fanch. The most audacious and modern pieces will be under his name. It is very likely that he reserved his pseudonym for more commercial pieces.