Ceramics Shows In Paris And Iac

[Marcia Selsor]

I recently was in Paris with my husband who was attending a meeting. I had the days free. Prior to going, I received email that Circuits Ceramiques would have 40 exhibitions in Paris the week I was there. It was actually in conjunction with the 44th meeting of the International Academy of Ceramics. It was fun tracking down the galleries on google earth and seeing all the work from artists around the world. I was struck by the differences between Asian, European, and American work. I was fortunate to meet an Irish ceramist at the first gallery. I also got an official map to all the galleries but with out times listed. This proved to be a problem since the interactive site online listed each gallery's business hours which were wrong 60% of the time. That was frustrating.

The best reception that I was able to attend was at the Sevres Porcelain Factory museum across the Seine from the Pont du Sevres metro stop.

I met up with my new Irish friend, Orlaith Ross who was a temporary intern at Sevres while in Paris for her show. I ran into several old friends who are members of the International Academy of Ceramics and who were exhibiting at the members show.

That was one of the best of the 40 exhibitions and with the widest range of work from installations on the lower floor to members on the 4th floor. Every venue was represented..wood fired, low fire sculpture, figurative, abstract, all surfaces explored,. I feel really fortunate to have seen so much. The show where Orlaith was exhibiting was called, The Next Generation. I think the artists were young Europeans from severals countries. Photos weren't allowed with respect for the artists. The next generation had very interesting sculptural pieces, several were very thought provoking. Two used photo imagery. The museum of Decorative Arts had a major exhibition also. And the Louvre of Antiques had a show paying homage to Palissy, with work representing artists from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. That was one of my favorites. Being a city girl at heart, I enjoyed exploring several parts of the city over my 5 days alone. Here is the link to the event.

http://www.circuits-ceramiques.fr/

[OffCenter]

Thanks for your post. It is always something of a shock to me to see the huge difference between North American ceramics and continental European ceramics. Each side of the Atlantic would be greatly enriched by more interchange.