Georges Jouve was a modern-era ceramicist with a tirelessly creative spirit. He began his career creating vases and other utilitarian vessels but soon renounced anything produced on a pottery wheel in favor of modeling and sculpture techniques. Forms found in nature inspired him to create unusual pieces — large cups that rolled up like vast seashells, curiously stylized birds — all springing from an alert imagination. He left an indelible mark as an unconventional ceramist.
Jouve was born in France, in 1910, to a family of decorators. At 17, he enrolled in the Ecole Boulle in Paris, where he studied sculpture. After graduation in 1930, he became a theater-set designer to help support his new wife and family. He only dabbled in ceramics when he had time — and that time did not present very often.
During World War II, Jouve was interned in a German forced-labor camp for his political views. He eventually escaped and hid at his stepparent’s home in southern France — where he indulged in his passion for ceramics to pass the time. In 1944, after the Germans left Paris, he returned to the city and pursued his dream of opening a ceramics studio.
Jouve’s work caught the eye of furniture designer Jacques Adnet, who asked him to participate in the Contemporary Ceramics Exhibition, which was hosted by a decorating and publishing house founded by architect Louis Süe and painter André Mare. His work was warmly received, and his pieces began to sell.
From there, Jouve started to participate in numerous exhibitions. At the 1947 Urban Planning Exhibition in Paris, he won a silver medal for a wall covering. His work was then displayed at several international traveling exhibitions presented by the French Ministry of National Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, from 1947 to 1950.
In 1954, Jouve left Paris to set up workshops in southern France, where he concentrated on ceramics research and new techniques. His experimentation resulted in breathtaking pieces that other artists have attempted to copy for decades.
On 1stDibs, find Georges Jouve serveware, ceramics, pitchers and more.
Patte d'ours et Pied fumeur Matthieu Mategot
By Georges Jouve
Located in PARIS, FR
Bear paws in glazed and cracked ceramic PIED FUMEUR BY MATHIEU MATEGOT Lacquered metal and rattan base 7 x 18 x 18 cm (Paw) 55 x 32 x 30 cm (Smoking Foot) 63 x 32 cm (Set)
Metal
Pichet dit chouette
By Georges Jouve
Located in PARIS, FR
Georges JOUVE (1910-1964) Earthenware zoomorphic pitcher, decorated with black and gray plumage on a white ground, black metallic interior, opening border animated by a green fillet....
Ceramic
$2,800
H 11 in W 16 in D 10.5 in
Antique French 19th Bronze Equestrian Group Horses Jockeys Statue Sculpture 1895
Located in Portland, OR
A fine late 19th century antique French bronze sculpture group, of a pair of race horses & jockeys, by Paul Louis Emile Loiseau-Rousseau, Paris (1861-1927). The bronze circa 1895 de...
Bronze
$6,528
H 11.62 in W 5.52 in D 15.36 in
P.J. Mene 1846, Bronze cast+ Djinn, Arabian Stallion
Located in Gent, VOV
Djinn, Arabian stallion 1846 A French bronze horse with a dark patina with brown undertones entitled 'Djinn étalon arabe' cast from the model by Pierre-Jules Mène (1810-1879), secon...
Bronze
$1,695
H 10 in W 5 in D 4.5 in
Antique French Egyptian Revival Bronze Bust Sculpture Statue "Queen of Babylon"
Located in Portland, OR
A good antique cast bronze sculpture an Egyptian Revival bust "The Queen of Babylon", by the 19th century French sculptor Paul Auguste Gagne, circa 1875. This rare & unusual bronze b...
Bronze
Turkish Horse
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in PARIS, FR
Turkish Horse by Antoine-Louis Barye (1796-1875) "Cheval turc, antérieur gauche levé, terrasse carrée" Bronze sculpture with a nuanced dark brown patina Signed " Barye " on the base...
Bronze
$2,295
H 9.5 in W 9.5 in D 7 in
Antique 19th Century French Bonze Animalier Brown Bear Statue Sculpture Paris
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in Portland, OR
A good antique bronze sculpture of a brown bear by the celebrated French Animalier sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye, circa 1870. The bronze depicts a brown bear in a dynamic pose, head h...
Marble, Bronze
Half-blood Horse, head raised
By Antoine-Louis Barye
Located in PARIS, FR
Half-blood Horse, head raised by Antoine-Louis BARYE (1796-1875) A bronze sculpture with a dark brown patina Signed on the base " Barye " Cast by " F. Barbedienne fondeur " (with th...
Bronze
Symbole
Located in PARIS, FR
Horse "Symbole" by René PARIS (1881-1970) Animal sculpture in bronze with a nuanced light brown patina signed on the base "René Paris" and dated "1942" Cast by "A. Valsuani" (with f...
Bronze
$22,500
H 68.5 in W 14 in D 14 in
Monumental Antique French Bronze Sculpture Statue Cupid & Marble Ormolu Pedestal
Located in Portland, OR
An incredible antique 19th century French bronze of Cupid seated on a gilt ormolu marble column, cupid shown feeding rose to a butterfly (L'Amour Prenant un Papillon) after Antoine-D...
Marble, Bronze
Female torso
Located in Täby, SE
This female torso represents the young woman's strength and vulnerability. It´s was conceived in the 70ths and is signed with the artists initials on a thumbprint. Gunnar Knut Nilsson, born 1904 in Karlskrona, died 1995 in Versailles in France, was a Swedish sculptor. Gunnar Nilsson studied watercolor painting and modeling at the Technical Vocational School in Karlskrona in 1918-19 and on his own in addition to working as a clerk at Finspångs Metallwerk. His debut exhibition was in Finspång in 1927. With the help of a local fundraiser, and after the encouragement of Carl Eldh, he traveled to Paris in 1928 to study sculpture for, among others, Charles Despiau and Paul Niclausse. In Paris he socialized with Bror Hjorth, whose former studio he also rented, Carl Frisendahl and Alberto Giacometti. He came to belong to "Le groupe des Neuf'' with Paul Cornet...
Bronze
$99,326
H 22.21 in W 9.26 in D 9.26 in
Bronze Centerpiece Empire Style as in the Oval Office Washington Donald Trump
Located in Eltville am Rhein, DE
Gilded bronze centerpiece Paris, ca. 1820–1830, identical counterpart in Donald Trump's Oval Office Significant gilded bronze centerpiece or “Centre De Surtout De Table" based on a design by Gustav Friedrich...
Bronze
$3,271
H 14.38 in W 6.7 in D 6.3 in
Busto Impero in Terracotta Ritratto di Bambina Virginie- Constance Lemercier
Located in Pistoia, IT
Busto in terracotta di Virginie-Constance Lemercier (1812-1875), circa 1818. Virginie-Constance Lemercier era la figlia di Louis-Jean-Népomucène Lemercier, poeta e drammaturgo fran...
Terracotta
$15,738
H 38.59 in W 12.6 in
The Hunt Large Bronze Sculpture Ferdinand Barbedienne Fondeur Napoleon III
By Louis Ernest Barrias
Located in Pistoia, IT
Louis-Ernest Barrias (1841-1905) "The Hunt. Impressive bronze sculpture with brown patina, 98 cm tall. Signature "E. Barrias" on the rock; "F. Barbedienne fondeur Paris" and mechanic...
Bronze
Patte d'ours et Pied fumeur Matthieu Mategot
By Georges Jouve
Located in PARIS, FR
Bear paws in glazed and cracked ceramic PIED FUMEUR BY MATHIEU MATEGOT Lacquered metal and rattan base 7 x 18 x 18 cm (Paw) 55 x 32 x 30 cm (Smoking Foot) 63 x 32 cm (Set)
Metal
Patte d'ours et Pied fumeur Matthieu Mategot
By Georges Jouve
Located in PARIS, FR
Bear paws in glazed and cracked ceramic PIED FUMEUR BY MATHIEU MATEGOT Lacquered metal and rattan base 7 x 18 x 18 cm (Paw) 55 x 32 x 30 cm (Smoking Foot) 63 x 32 cm (Set)
Metal
Vide poche soleil
By Georges Jouve
Located in PARIS, FR
Glazed ceramic, signed on back, made in Aix en Provence, where the artist studied
Ceramic