LERAT Jean, ceramic, permanent artist of Galerie Capazza since 2012

Biography

Jean Lerat’s family is an old family from Berry (French province), where you can find farmers, cabinet makers, horse breeders, Antique dealers. Jean starts at the Fine Arts school in Bourges to learn wood sculpture. Then, he concentrates on sculpture, drawing and landscapes painting. The encounter with François Guillaume will change his life. Dealer, designer and crockery editor in Bourges since the 30’s, he has a lot of contacts with the ceramics and glass factories which realize his models for the French restaurants. He asks Jean Lerat to work in La Borne in 1941, to “renew the pottery tradition fo the village”. He rents a workshop and asks Armand Bedu to supply Jean with the needed materials and to fire the pieces that will be sold in the shop.

In December 1942, Jean Favière, who works at the Berry Museum, and Henri Malvaux, new director of the Fine Arts school in Bourges, start showing interest to the craft productions of la Borne. The village is already renowned by Parisian institutions (Museum of the Decorative Arts, Ceramics Museum of Sèvres…) for its authenticity.

Henri Malvaux asks Jacqueline Bouvet to come to La Borne in July 1943. She is allowed to stay until May 1944 thanks to an agreement with François Guillaume.

Jean and Jacqueline get married on February 3rd of 1945. They will work in the same place, but they will follow a personal path. But they share clay, enamels and firing.

In 1955 they moved to Bourges, building a new wood-firing kiln and beginning to create more sculptural and abstracted works.

While an attentive observation should lead the collector to distinguish their style, they adopt a mutual signature JLERAT from 1945 to 1948, then JJLERAT from 1948 to Jean’s death. After 1992, Jacqueline starts again to sign JLERAT.

Their collaboration in ceramics is considered to be among the most important in postwar

France. Their teaching at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts in Bourges has influenced new generations of potters.

Public collections

Musée national de Kyōto, Japon

Victoria & Albert Museum Londres, Royaume Uni

Musée Cantini, Marseille

Musée des arts décoratifs, Paris

Musée Bernard Palissy, Lacapelle-Biron

Musées de Bourges

Musée de Mâcon

Musée de Sars-Poteries

Musée de Vallauris

Musée national de la céramique, Sèvres