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Grégoire Scalabre
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Grégoire Scalabre: Craftsmanship in the Spotlight at Villa Kujoyama

My desire is to tell stories using the versatility of ceramics, its capacity for mimicry that allows it to be utilized in unexpected contexts.

As 2024 marks the first 10 years of craft residencies at Villa Kujoyama, initiated with the support of the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation as the program's main patron, the Institut français presents the profile of Grégoire Scalabre. Winner of the Liliane Bettencourt Prize for the Intelligence of the Hand® and invited to Villa Kujoyama in 2023, he is currently exhibiting at the Abbaye de Maubuisson and in the royal stables of the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire. Recognized as one of today's greatest talents in ceramics, Grégoire Scalabre works with thousands of miniature porcelain amphorae, crafted using the turning technique. Through his works, he explores themes of order and chaos, as well as the interplay between the tiny and the immense, with creations that redefine the concept of form. 

Updated on 08/10/2024

5 min

Born in Île-de-France in 1974, Grégoire Scalabre is a ceramic sculptor. He discovered ceramics at the age of ten in his school's pottery and modeling workshop. Six years later, he began an apprenticeship at the Atelier du Sage in Dieulefit, Drôme. To continue his training, he took theoretical courses at the Lycée de la céramique in Longchamp. In 2002, he founded his own studio, and in 2005, along with Christophe Bonnard, he created the "Arts et Techniques Céramiques" school in Paris, where he trains students in a professional certificate (CAP) in pottery, providing them with a contemporary and comprehensive vision of his craft. Between 2009 and 2010, he completed a residency at the Manufacture de Sèvres, where he created "Astrée", a monumental work exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

During the same period, he conceived "Haussmann", a series of sculptures designed as plaster models to form an architectural landscape in the spirit of the stucco molding typical of Haussmannian style. In 2015, he founded the "Atelier céramique" in Kremlin-Bicêtre, intended as a space for artistic exchange, and in 2017, he published a pedagogical book, "Céramique : répertoire de formes". Grégoire Scalabre is represented by Todd Merrill Gallery in New York and Modern Shapes Gallery in Belgium. His works are part of numerous public and private collections in France and abroad.

Grégoire Scalabre's work is internationally renowned for its virtuosity. He draws inspiration from architecture, the industrial world, as well as the architectural heritage of French monuments and the realm of statuary. Throughout his career, he has stood out by pushing the boundaries of ceramics and seeking to reinvent its forms. He has experimented with concepts such as dissemination, accumulation, as well as dynamism and the monumental, often juxtaposing them with architecture and metallurgy. Through accumulation, he can, for instance, restore the memory of forms stored over the years. 

In his creative process, Grégoire Scalabre invents forms like a new language through a true dance of gestures. One by one, the pieces come to life in a series of harmonious shapes, blending instinct with precision. The artist manages to tame scale, oscillating between the minuscule and the monumental, and situates his works within nature by exploring the interplay of order and chaos. 

In 2022, Grégoire Scalabre won the "Intelligence of the Hand" award, presented by the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, for his work "L'Ultime Métamorphose de Thétis". Covered with 70,000 miniature amphorae, the piece is conceived as a tribute to vases and their representation of our civilization. He was also named Ambassador of Craftsmanship by the INSFF. 

As a 2023 laureate of Villa Kujoyama, Grégoire Scalabre was able to further explore the concept of nature in his works. He delved into the possibilities offered by Japanese culture, incorporating color and vegetation into his creations and drawing inspiration from the tradition of Japanese gardens. His most recent works are exhibited in the royal stables of the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, on display until April 2025, and at the Abbaye de Maubuisson in autumn 2024. 

  • 2010

    2010

    Grégoire Scalabre created "Astrée", a monumental work exhibited at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

  • 2015

    2015

    He founded the "Atelier céramique" in Kremlin-Bicêtre.

  • 2022

    2022

    He won the 'Intelligence of the Hand" award from the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation.

  • 2023

    2023

    He is in residency at Villa Kujoyama, in Japan.

  • 2024

    2024

    Grégoire Scalabre is exhibiting his works in the royal stables of the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire and at the Abbaye de Maubuisson.

The Villa Kujoyama

Villa Kujoyama is an artistic institution within the cultural cooperation network of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. It operates under the Institut français of Japan, in coordination with the Institut français, and benefits from the support of the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, its main patron. 

2024 marks the first 10 years of craft residencies at Villa Kujoyama, initiated thanks to the support of the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation. 

L'institut français, LAB