Valentine Schlegel

Valentine Schlegel rare biomorphic glazed ceramic vase beautifully contoured, sensual and organic in form, France, 1955. Incised 'V. Schlegel' to underside. Valentine Schlegel (French, b. 1926) was one of the most important modernist ceramicists of the 1950s whose abstract, unique style was evident in her varied oeuvre consisting of sculpture and ceramics to leatherworking and interior architecture. She was born in the coastal town of Séte and studied at l’École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Montpellier where she began developing her interest in the medium of drawing. Schlegel worked for the first Avignon festivals as an assistant costume designer, prop specialist, and eventually chief stage manager. In 1945 Schlegel moved to Paris and discovered ceramics with Frédérique Bourguet and later with her sister Andrée Vilar...

Large Leaf French Ceramic Plate by Valentine Schlegel, 2001 French ceramics, oblongue leaf shape, decoration with iridescent enamels in black, ash and blue shades of colour. Signed 'V.SCHLEGEL' on the back and dated 2001. Valentine Schlegel was a French sculptor and ceramist born on 23 November 1925 in Sète and died on 16 May 2021 in Paris. She is best known for her series of vases created during the 1950s and for the plaster fireplaces she sculpted to order for private homes. In 1945, she moved to Paris and discovered ceramics and sculpture with Frédérique Bourguet, a friend from the Beaux-Arts in Montpellier, with whom she shared a studio on rue Vavin until 1951. They worked together on the modelling of utilitarian ceramic objects. Their pieces are inspired by ancient Mediterranean ceramics...