Pierre Culot

A complete overview of the Belgian ceramist Pierre Culot’s career in pottery, sculpture and landscaping, bridging the gap between the British, Japanese and French ceramic traditions

Pierre Culot (1938-2011) was a Belgian ceramist and sculptor who was trained by Antoine de Vinck and English master potter Bernard Leach. He is one of the ceramists of the 1950s who transformed their craft into an art form. In his work, Pierre Culot passionately expresses his desire to be in the world, to be on earth and to be in nature the sole generator of life and beauty. The clay that he molds into slabs, scratches and enamels becomes containers for daily use with majestic presence. Over his career Culot aimed at mastery of his practice, shaping his pieces in terms of size and in surface effect, by combining the raw earth in each item with luxuriant enamels that had unique variations.   All of Culot’s life he remained faithful to his initial experience as a potter, evolving his ceramic works from basic forms (bowls, plates, jugs) to more daring shapes (cruciform vases, gourds, compound pots, inkwells), and even into the landscape space by sculpting garden walls. This book offers a complete overview of his unique and multi-faceted career in pottery, sculpture and landscaping.   Distributed for Mercatorfonds