Rare square stoneware bottle by Emile Decoeur

The disciple of Edmond Lachenal, Émile Decoeur emerged as a leader in 20th-century ceramics. Decoeur began his long apprenticeship with the master in 1890 until he formally set up his own studio in 1903 in Paris’ ceramics hub, the Auteuil district. 

Joining forces with fellow ceramist, Fernand Rumebe, they added a small gallery called L’Art Ceramique. 1908 proved to be the real turning point in DeCoeur’s career. He married and moved his studio permanently to the town of Fontenay-aux-Roses south of Paris.

Rouard, the owner of the prestigious Parisian retailer of fine furnishings on Avenue de l’Opera, A la Paix, became the promoter and agent for DeCoeur’s work for decades. That year also marks the beginning of a lifelong friendship with art collector, Atherton Curtis, whose patronage enabled DeCoeur’s artistic independence. 

The honing of expertise in every aspect of production and drive for experimentation which Lachenal nurtured in his workshop continued to expand for all of Decoeur’s life. Decoeur was the first to show the potential for engobe application with stoneware. He shifted from early work in faience to his preferred stoneware and porcelain mediums where he could continuously refine the unity of ceramic base and glaze. He was made a Chevalier in 1920 and elevated to Officier in 1926 of the French Legion of Honor. 

From 1914 until the eve of WWII, Decoeur was truly the heart of Rouard’s artists who exhibited under the name, Les Artisans Francais Contemporains. He served on the selection committee and on the jury of the first international exhibition devoted exclusively to the decorative arts, l’Exposition des Arts Decoratifs, where the Art Deco style was born. 

A favorite of Émile Jacques-Ruhlmann, Decoeur found inspiration in ancient Chinese and Korean ceramics and strove for a purity of style and form; his work in the second quarter of the 20th century continues to evolve with a demonstrably more sober approach. Decoeur served as Artistic Advisor to Sèvres Manufactory from 1939–48, continuing his quest in the world of ceramics in his later years at his studio until his dying day. 

Besides the many museum purchases made during Decoeur’s lifetime, Curtis’ donation of the bulk of his 500-piece Decoeur collection to the Musee Nationale d’Art Moderne in 1938 has ensured the preservation and eminence of this 20th-century master.

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(Biography provided by Galerie Fledermaus)