Ceramic Review is the magazine for contemporary and historical ceramics, ceramic art and pottery.
January/February 2025
Cardboard or ceramics? Jacques Monneraud speaks to CR about his latest collection and the joy in creating tactile illusions
‘Contrast’ comes to mind when I am asked to describe my work. It is all about control and a rigorous technique, but always tinged with a certain irony or side-step. I would probably describe myself in that way too. As for the name of my profession, I don’t really ask myself that question. ‘Ceramicist’ or ‘artist’ are the words that come up most often, but none of them bother me: potter, craftsman, ceramicist, the guy with the blue hat… I am happy with anything.
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After thinking and drawing, I always start by wheel-throwing the body of my pieces into one single part. The potter’s wheel is a tool that I really appreciate and for now I don’t plan to do without it. Once the body of the piece is thrown, I slab-build and sculpt the rest – handles, spouts and ornaments – depending on what I want to achieve.
I grew up in a family of artists and craftsmen, between my mother’s studio as a painter and my grandfather’s as an industrial designer. These two places and my family taught me a lot of things that stay with me today: the idea that creativity comes from boredom or constraint; that you can do a lot with a little; that intelligence can reside in a tiny piece of wood if it is well carved; that it is funny to take things very seriously that aren’t serious at all; that talent isn’t enough; or that you can have a pig as a pet even though you live in an apartment.
One day, while I was in my studio, a ceramicist friend came to see me. On my workbench was a small coffee mug from my Carton collection. It was a prototype I had fired a few days earlier. As she walked by, she said to me, ‘Oh, so you are abandoning ceramics for cardboard now?’ That was when I knew I had to dig deeper into this series.
In general, this is the most common reaction to my work; making the mistake that it is cardboard is an indirect compliment that means a lot to me. After this initial surprise, people are immediately drawn to the object and want to touch it. I love this moment because everyone, no matter how different they may be, reacts in the same way. With curiosity, they ask if they can hold it. As they lean in for a closer look and touch the fired clay, they are often surprised by how real it feels. It is a moment of wonder. If, through the surprise played on them by their senses, people relive a second of childlike innocence, I am happy.
When I first unveiled the Carton collection to the public, I wasn’t expecting such a huge response. It was very reassuring because I felt much more in tune with this type of object, which requires extreme care and a high level of technical expertise, while at the same time conveying a certain irony. From then on, I saw my previous work as a path that led me to this style.
I use three different stoneware clays that I mix together. These are high-temperature clays, which I fire in an oxidising atmosphere at Cone Orton 9. The only glazed parts are the fake pieces of ‘tape’. I like to create all my glazes myself and this one is no exception. To achieve this effect, which took over a year of research, I apply a superposition of two different glazes with a brush, in four very precise strokes.
Earlier this year, I unveiled a special project. I created a replica of La Coupe des Mousquetaires (The Musketeers’ Trophy), which is the cup presented at the Roland-Garros French Open tennis tournament. The cup is made from the clay of the court on which Rafael Nadal experienced the finest moments of his tennis career. I was very moved by people’s support. Without them, I would never have been contacted by Nadal’s team, and I couldn’t hope that it would ever be presented to him.
For the moment, I would like to take the Carton collection further. I will be presenting some special pieces at the next Ceramic Brussels exhibition in January next year. On a more general level, I don’t know what tomorrow will bring and that’s the way I like it.
For more details visit jacquesmonneraud.com; @jacquesmonneraud