Coffee Table By Roger Capron (1922–2006)

COFFEE TABLE BY ROGER CAPRON (1922–2006)
Model known as “Mambo,”
Square tabletop withrounded edges, made of beige andbrown glazed ceramic, with a wooden base,
signed RCAPRON,
BiographyRoger Capron, born in Vincennes in 1922, was amultifaceted artist: ceramist, painter, and sculptor.From a very young age, he showed an interest in art,initially devoting himself to drawing. From 1938 to 1943, he studied at the École des ArtsAppliqués de Paris (now the École Duperré). His discovery of ceramicsgradually led him to set aside drawing to devote himself fully to thisnew medium.In 1946, he moved to Vallauris, in the Alpes-Maritimes,where he opened his first ceramics studio. In 1948, he joined forces withceramists Robert Picault and Jean Derval at the Callis studio, thereby contributingto the revival of ceramics in Vallauris. Roger Capron strove to put into practicewhat his mentor, the designer René Gabriel, had taught him: “To makebeauty accessible to all.”In 1952, he acquired a pottery workshop in Vallauris, initiallyemploying seven workers to produce decorative panels and objectsfor local businesses. The following year, he beganmanufacturing earthenware tiles and tables. It was also in 1955 that hemarried Jacqueline Hubin, known as “Jacotte,” who would become his collaborator andhis unwavering support throughout his career.Roger Capron quickly achieved success: he received agold medal at the 10th Milan Triennale in 1954, a silver medal atthe Cannes International Exhibition in 1955, and a gold medal in Brusselsin 1959. In 1970, he was even honored with the International Grand Prix ofCeramics. During this period, he collaborated with various artists, ceramicists,painters, and architects—including Jean-Michel Carré and Philippe Sicardon—on theceramic decoration project for the Byblos Hotel in Saint-Tropez. However, beginning in 1980, the artist went through adifficult period. Although his studio employed nearly 120 people, the economiccrisis forced him into bankruptcy. Capron was then forced to sell hisdesigns, patents, and manufacturing processes to Établissements Carré inParis. Despite these difficulties, Roger Capron continued to create inhis studio in Vallauris. In the 1990s, after having primarilyproducing mass-produced objects, he explored a new artistic direction byfocusing on one-of-a-kind pieces akin to sculpture. With the help of hiswife and Jean-Paul Bonnet, he opened a new studio dedicated tofired pieces.
In the 2000s, he also devoted himself to three-dimensional sculpture, and his work continued to gain international recognition, withexhibitions at renowned galleries such as Neotu in Paris and Hammer inNew York. In 2003, the National Ceramics Museum in Sèvres dedicated aretrospective exhibition to him titled “Les Capron.”