Robert Chiazzo (la Cueva) - Ceramic Flower Pick From The 60s

Robert CHIAZZO (1924-2020) in Bormes les Mimosas. Very beautiful glazed ceramic depicting a maternity ward and serving as a flower pick or candle holder. Circa 1965. Beautiful dimensions: Height 30 cm Base diameter 12 cm 1.6 kg Born in 1924, in Hyères in the Var, Robert Chiazzo began a career as a pastry chef, farm worker, building painter and decorator. During the Second World War, he was a combatant and then a paratrooper in the African Commandos. His commitment to this elite unit contributed to the liberation of Bormes on August 17, 1944. As such, Robert was distinguished with the title of Knight of the Legion of Honor, holder of the Military Medal, officer of the National Order of Merit (1994), War Cross 39-45 with two citations, Cross of the Voluntary Combatant and Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. After the war, back in Bormes les Mimosas, his meeting with Georges Gouzy opened a new perspective on ceramic art and painting. Subsequently, Robert took over the ceramist's workshop. In 1967, in Bornes les Mimosas (Place du Poulid-Cantoun), Robert Chiazzo and his wife opened a shop under the name 'la Cueva' to sell the ceramic production of renowned ceramists such as Michel Anasse, Albert Thiry, Olivier Pettit, Roger Collet, Jacques Pouchain, Jean-Claude Malarmey, Robert Perot (atelier le Vieux Moulin), Jacques Lignier … . With these artists, he trained himself in ceramics. His work was selected for the International Biennial of Ceramic Art in Vallauris (1978, 1980 and 1982). His pieces are exhibited in France, Germany, Italy, Belgium and even in Canada and the United States. Robert's ceramic production is decorative and utilitarian, with vases, pitchers, mirrors, lamp bases, candlesticks, and a few objects related to sacred art. His ceramic style is influenced by the pieces of the artists represented in his gallery, such as the owls of Michel Anasse or Jacques Pouchain, and the religious and animal sculptures of Olivier Pettit. Upon the latter's death in 1979, Mrs. Pettit gave some of her husband's molds to Robert, who then co-signed the production (OP + Chiazzo). On a more personal level, Robert Chiazzo created pieces glazed in 'copper red' of very high quality, some of which have been included in the Modern Collection of the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels. To obtain the copper red luster, Robert fueled his kiln with thyme and herbs. The 'La Cueva' shop operated until 1987. From that date, Robert abandoned clay to take up his brushes and easel. His encounter with Suzanne Frémont (1876-1962) influenced his work as a figurative painter until 2007, although he was interested in the abstract style of Nicolas de Staël (1914-1955), whom he encountered in Le Lavandou. It was the work of painters Georges Henri Pescadère (1915-2003) and Alain Ruby (1943-), which led Robert to approach the abstract movement, showcasing colors and their luminosity. He then used pure colors as 'they come out of the tube.' Robert Chiazzo created more than 300 figurative and abstract paintings, some of which were exhibited at the Arts and History Museum in May 2010 in Bormes les Mimosas.