Gregoire Scalabre

GREGOIRE SCALABRE

GREGOIRE SCALABRE Copyright © 2023 Todd Merrill All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

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GREGOIRE SCALABRE Grégoire Scalabre, a French ceramist and sculptor, has developed a distinguished career marked by extensive formal exploration. Over time, his focus shifted away from utility and domestic rituals, embracing a purely sculptural dimension. Scalabre’s artistic diversity spans various expressions in size, shape, and material, occasionally resulting in intriguing clashes or amalgamations within his works.

His range extends from miniature to monumental, from dissemination to accumulation, and from rough to meticulously crafted pieces.

Beginning his journey into pottery at 16, he delved into numerous forms for manufacturers. Initially drawn to utilitarian containers ubiquitous in everyday life, Scalabre collaborated with design editors and was recognized as one of the “talents à la carte” at the Maison & Objets trade show in 2007.

Early on, he recognized the potential of multiples, employing his mastered clay-throwing technique to execute this concept. His relentless exploration of the subject in works like Ville, Astrée, Thetis, Sane

and Cygnus, and Onde involved swaying surfaces composed of miniatures, each as unique as individual drops contributing to form an ocean.

His works adorn prominent public and private collections globally, including the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the National Collection at the Manufacture de Sèvres, France, where he was a resident from 2009 to 2012, invited by David Cameo and Frédéric Baudet.

Notable projects include Hausmann, crafted at the Manufacture de Sèvres, and The Perpetual Movement Series, paying homage to admired artist Tony Gragg.

Between 2010 and 2013, a residency at the Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres unveiled Scalabre’s accumulation-focused approach, culminating in a departure from utility and the initiation of monumental piece ambitions, notably Astrée. Exhibited at the Musée des Arts décoratifs and the Musée national de Sèvres in Paris, this residency marked a pivotal moment in his artistic journey.

Scalabre’s remarkable porcelain wall medallion, Soane, is composed by more than 9,000 miniature porcelain vessels, each patiently thrown on the wheel by Scalabre. Soane was inspired by the historic shipwrecks of the East India Company. Shipwrecks were a frequent occurrence throughout the Georgian era. Among the lost cargo was an estimated number of nearly 200 pieces of fine porcelain from Asia. Scalabre’s individual vessels converge, and are encrusted onto a large wreathlike form akin to barnacles on a ship. The wreath shape, traditionally suggesting eternity, pays homage to the mythical freight of porcelain, forever removed from all humankind, reborn deep inside the sea.

An early version of Soane, was acquired by The Musée des Arts Décoratifs of Paris for their permanent collection of contemporary ceramics.

Soane, FR, 2021 Porcelain 40h x 40w x 16d in 101.60h x 101.60w x 40.64d cm

Achille, FR, 2021 Porcelain 55h x 55w x 3d in 139.70h x 139.70w x 7.62d cm

Cygnus, FR, 2021 porcelain with black glaze 40h x 40w x 16d in 101.60h x 101.60w x 40.64d cm

Cygnus transcends the conventional notions of color and form, delving into the profound interplay between light and darkness.

Scalabre’s masterful creation is a testament to the complexity of black, which he interprets not merely as a color but as the absence or amalgamation of hues. The shape itself, a torus—a geometric form attributed by some astrophysicists to the structure of the universe—heightens the enigmatic essence of the artwork.

The sculpture’s enigmatic beauty and thought-provoking elements resonate with a sense of mystery, inviting contemplation and a deeper exploration of the intricate interplay between light, darkness, and the enigmatic shapes that define our understanding of the universe.

Grégoire Scalabre is one of the greatest ceramicists contributing to the renewal of contemporary ceramics. His sculptures are considered by some to be closer to fine art and design; they are above all the work of an accomplished sculptor.

David Caméo, General Director of the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres

Onde, FR, 2023 Porcelain 79h x 62.5w x 3d in 200h x 160w x 7.62d cm

Nuances de Vert, FR, 2023 Porcelain 25.56h x 157.25w x 4.50d in 64.93h x 399.42w x 11.43d cm

The Final Metamorphosis of Thetis was featured in “Porcelain Virtuosity” at Homo Faber, an exhibition in Venice presented by the Michelangelo Foundation. The sculpture, consisting of 70,000 miniature hand-thrown porcelain vessels and standing over 6 1/2 feet tall, was inspired by the story of Thetis, a sea nymph in Greek Mythology.

Thetis has the power of metamorphosis, but in failing to protect her seven sons (including Achilles), she lives the rest of her life in isolation at the bottom of the sea. In Thetis Scalabre imagines her rising from these trenches in her final metamorphosis. To capture this, he mixed a palette of white, beige and green shades and contrasted shiny and smooth textures to replicate and represent the sea and all of its elements. The forms were inspired by the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, where Scalabre worked as an artist in residence from 2008-2011, and includes Sèvres’s famed palette of green hues. Each miniature porcelain vessel is strategically organized onto the surface of the piece, creating a harmonious language as the vessels interact with each other. Scalabre continues to challenge ideas of scale, repetition, and mass through meticulous studio practice.

The Final Metamorphosis of Thetis, FR, 2022 porcelain with glaze 70.5h x 70.5w x 70.5d in 180h x 180w x 180d cm

Cocteau II, FR, 2019 Earthenware, projected marble, feather 13.78h x 27.56w x 13.78d in 35h x 70w x 35d cm

Scalabre’s ceramic Cocteau Series is a meditation on chiaroscuro. The contrast of light to dark is underscored by the iridescence of the surface feathers that create their own directional light and shadow as the observer moves around the work. Inspired by french architecture, specifically the historic French moldings and decoration that populate the Haussmann apartment buildings which line the boulevards of Paris, the work is dependent on a delicate balance between fluidity and geometry. Sheathed in feathers, the Cocteau sculptures break free from the conventional language of ceramics. The animalian surface disguises the solid smooth nature of the porcelain body. Broad lines and generous curves, expand and contract as if breathing or folding in on themselves, suggesting a perpetual sense of movement.

Cocteau I, FR, 2019 Earthenware, projected marble, feather 11.81h x 22.83w x 22.83d in 30h x 58w x 58d cm

Todd Merrill Studio Todd Merrill Studio represents an international group of established and emerging artists, each with a singular artistic vision and unprecedented point of view. In creating unique works of collectible design, each artist takes a hands-on approach that intersects contemporary design, fine art, traditional craft techniques, and pioneering innovation.

Individually, through meticulous craftsmanship and rigorous studio experimentation, each has developed leading-edge, proprietary methods that break previously set inherent limitations of conventional materials like wood, metal, plaster, concrete, ceramics, glass, and resin.

Their intimate studio approach fosters an atmosphere of creativity where the work rendered significantly bears the hand of the artist.

Collectively the artists are helping to create a new visual vocabulary that advances long-held, established artistic boundaries. Their dynamic, one-of-a-kind, and frequently groundbreaking works contribute to today’s increasingly relevant grey space between art and design.

With the gallery’s support, the artists’ works have entered the collections of major private and public patrons and prestigious museums including the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in New York; the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; the Museum of Art and Design in New York; the High Museum in Atlanta; the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; the Carnegie Museum of Art in Philadelphia, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, and the Brooklyn Museum in New York.

In 2000, Todd Merrill opened Todd Merrill Antiques which quickly became renowned for its glamorous and eclectic mix of twentiethcentury furniture and lighting. The pioneering gallery was one of the of the first to promote modernist and postmodernist American studio artisans including Paul Evans, Phillip Lloyd Powell, George Nakashima, Karl Springer, James Mont, Tommi Parzinger, among others.

In 2008, Rizzoli published Merrill’s “Modern Americana: Studio Furniture from High Craft to High Glam”, the first ever authoritative examination of the great studio furniture makers and designers who, from 1940 thru the 1990s defined American high style. To celebrate the tenth anniversary, in 2018 Rizzoli published an expanded edition, adding 60 pages to his original book. This survey of the period continues with two massive additional chapters focused on Women Makers and Showrooms.

After the publication of Modern Americana in 2008, Merrill began to shift the focus of the gallery and started the Studio Contemporary program which has today become his primary focus. Also in 2008 the gallery introduced Custom Originals, a line of custom produced upholstered furniture designed by Merrill himself. Merrill’s signature creations reflect his vast experience with twentieth-century design and knowledge of contemporary tastes.