We need to talk about 20th Century Sèvres ceramics. Not ‘trending’ currently, but I’m hoping that day will come ere long. The Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres’ unparalleled (I think few would demur) output in the 18th and 19th centuries is, of course, comprehensively represented in museums and private collections globally (and no more on that vast area here).

But how well acquainted are we with Sèvres’ 20th century design? Innovative design, colour harmonies, elegant and intriguing forms, and faultless execution define production in the 20th and 21st centuries, no less than in the years preceding. But as the 19th century drew to a close, Sèvres was smarting from having been unseated from its pre-eminent position - sporadic artistic doldrums had been unkindly noted in the decades prior. Paul Gauguin accused Sèvres of ‘murdering ceramics’! (“Sèvres, pour ne point la nommer, a tué la céramique.”)

Chastened, Sèvres embarked purposefully into the 20th century, upholding stringent quality control but freeing itself from the constraints of traditional design. The objectives, policies (a ceramic school was established welcoming ceramists everywhere to exchange ideas and experience), and artistic direction (under Alexandre Sandier) underwent a complete overhaul. Sèvres re-emerged as utopian manufactory - mission accomplished. Sublime Art Nouveau sculpture by Agathon Léonard and Raoul Larche were widely appreciated, as were delicately decorated vases.

Time and taste moved on and Sèvres began to exploit the decorative possibilities of stoneware, ‘grès-cérame’, as suited to both exterior and interior architectural applications. During the course of World War I, Sèvres largely limited its artistic activity to concentrate on the production of this material, the only ceramic body able to withstand, and therefore a stable container for, the chemicals and acids required in explosives manufacture. Earlier in the century, Sandier consigned his sturdier and more robust form designs to production in ‘grès’ - a more ‘butch’ material which Jean Carriès (1855-94, a grès enthusiast) pronounced “le mâle de la porcelaine”. Sixty new vase forms were devised in ‘grès fin’ (launched in 1930) which, in an unglazed state, exhibited russet-brown tones attractive in their own right. It was ideal for sculpture and during the subsequent decade deployed to great effect - bold models by Jan and Joel Martel and by Ossip Zadkine, among others, energised the sculpture studio.

Sèvres’ pavilions at the 1925 Exposition des Arts Décoratifs in Paris were an unequivocal success - sculpture, utilitarian and decorative  pieces, bas-relief panels and more were realised by a variety of techniques and in a range of materials - all consummately styled in the Art Deco taste. A range of stylish lighting was introduced showing porcelain’s translucence to advantage, enhanced by the technique of ‘porcelaine gravée’ which varied its density in decorative patterns. Lavish commissions for ocean liners (eg. Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann’s illuminated vases for the Ile-de-France) and State patronage helped bolster Sèvres’ finances. In the 1930s increased requirements for diplomatic gifts and the decoration of State interiors in line with contemporary fashions prompted the recruitment of René Prou, Maurice Daurat, and Ruhlmann and others to satisfy demand. The visit to Paris in 1937, for instance, by the American dance troupe ‘The Rockettes’ from Radio City Music Hall resulted in the presentation to them of a pair of ‘Vase Daurat No. 3’ decorated by Paul Charlemagne in striking black on white of a frieze of female dancers - super stylish.

Modernist abstraction and Functionalism, so alien to Sèvres’ creamy porcelain with floral patterns adorning elegant curves, failed to influence the manufactory. Bauhaus found no resonance at Sèvres, who maintained (quite rightly!) that their objects had always fulfilled their function admirably. However, a decoration divergence inspired in part by the vogue for African arts began to appear at Sèvres. Sadly, this welcome freshness was stymied by the Second World War when the Vichy government insisted on propaganda items for presentation and gifts from the manufactory which remained open.

Post-war, and in opposition to independent ceramists such as Picasso and Miró, Sèvres to some degree opted to adhere to its traditions and objectives - its comfort zone. The art of ornament, at which Sèvres perennially excelled, marginalised the manufactory in the eyes of contemporaries. In reaction, Sèvres developed modes of decoration particular to itself. From 1950, the art of fantastical ‘surtouts de table’ and sculptures in biscuit porcelain were revived and re-imagined by accomplished artists such as Lagriffoul and Orlandini. Artists such as Mahiéddine Boutaleb, André Plantard, Roger Sivault and others adopted an aesthetic close to Jean Lurçat and Jean Picart Le Doux's textile compositions. Not hesitating to use old forms as well as new, and updating motifs such as ‘trophy’ decoration in a delightful way, post-war artists reinvigorated production.

A pledge was taken to renew contact with trends directing contemporary art. From the 1970s to today, Sèvres has engaged the most notable outside artists and designers: Ettore Sottsass, Jim Dine, Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama, and a long list of others, to create audacious works at the manufactory. Once seen, François-Xavier Lalanne’s avant-garde ‘Le Bar aux autruches’ (a mad cocktail bar with near-as-dammit life size porcelain ostriches) is never forgotten. Throughout the 20th century and into our own, Sèvres has remained independent at heart, grounded in a respect for a collective heritage perpetually in motion.

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