RENE BUTHAUD

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René Buthaud was born in Sainte on December 14, 1886. From 1903 to 1907, he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts where he was a pupil of the painter Paul-François Quinsac. In addition, hefollowed a goldsmith engraver learning in a workshop in Bordeaux located at rue de Grassi in Bordeaux. Then, from 1909-1913, he studied at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he worked under the guidance of the painter Gabriel Ferrier. He studied painting and engraving intaglio.

On returning to Bordeaux in 1918 after serving in WWI, After his military service, René showed an interest in other disciplines and learned the techniques of glass-making and ceramics. His colleagues in Bordeaux, the painters Jean Dupas and René Bissiere, encouraged him to work in ceramics. He soon concentrated on decorated ceramics. He built a kiln which could attain a temperature of 95°C, which allowed for the creation of enameled ceramics. It is here that Buthaud displayed his talent for transforming a drawing into an object. The vegetal patterns of the first years were soon replaced by geometric compositions and, above all, by nude figures adapted to the curves of his vases, as well as narrative scenes. By using his proven talents as a painter and engraver, René Buthaud was able to develop a highly personal style for his extremely successful ceramics.

Along with figures like Chaplet, Auguste Delaherche, Jean Carriès, Emile Lenoble, Emile Decoeur or Jean Mayodon, Buthaud was one of ceramic renovators who, from the mid-nineteenth century and in the margins of industrial production, have returned to craft tradition of the great ceramic Far East and the Muslim world.

His work consisted mainly of ceramic tiles stanniferous: cups and ovoid vases, often decorated with portraits of female figures, statuettes bathers. But René Buthaud was not limited to ceramics: he painted a lot on very different media ; he learned the technique of fixed-coaster with, for example, The Triumph of Venus, a superb example of ancient topic revisited ; he designed and made decorative mosaics, such as those in the courtyard of the municipal stadium in Bordeaux in 1937.

In 1919 his ceramic creations were the only ones to be exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in Paris. The following year his work was displayed at the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs and the Salon d'Automne at the Grand Palais in Paris. His work received critical acclaim from fellow artists such as Maurice Denis and Jean Dunand, with Dunand purchasing some of Buthaud’s first works in ceramics.

So impressed was Dunand with Buthaud's work that he put his name in nomination for the Florence Blumenthal Prize. Donated by an American, this prize was intended for an artist under 35 years of age who was a veteran of World War I. The first prize awarded by this foundation, at that time 25,000 French francs, went to Buthaud in 1921.

In 1925 Buthaud was a member of the jury at the Exposition des Arts Décoratifs. Here he exhibited "hors concours," once again receiving high praise. Returning to Bordeaux that same year, he replaced his wood-burning kiln with a coal fired one, enabling him to increase the temperature to 125°C. Thanks to this improvement, he perfected his ceramics techniques. Under contract to Galerie Rouard in Paris, he exhibited there from 1928 to 1965. During this period, he often signed his works "J. Doris". After 1940, he concentrated on images of women, in the form of stylized odalisques, idealized female figures, and mythological goddesses. He died at the age of 100 in 1987. His works are displayed in many museums, including the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Bordeaux, his adopted city, the Musée National de la Céramique in Sèvres, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and the Metropolitan Museum. 



Année parution : 1996


Nb pages : 204. Format : 22X28. Photos : 400 dont couleurs : Oui. Reliure : Relié sous jaquette. Langue : Francais.

ISBN : 2 85917 195 9EAN : 9782859171957


by Pierre Gruège