EUGENE FIDLER AT ART BASEL WITH LEBRETON GALLERY, SF.

ART BASEL, for those of you who may not know of it – and it is your right not to! – is a major art fair which takes place in Basel, Switzerland once a year. It is also held in Miami, Florida, and in Hong-Kong. Here is more info about it, and about the June 2018 event, which I was fortunate to attend. 

In Basel, the works of more than 4000 artists were exhibited during 5 days, by 300 galeries. The event is definitely the most important meeting place for art amateurs in Europe. Visitors flock there from all over the world, looking for the gems that will enrich their amazing collections.

It is in this prestigious place that Lebreton Gallery, San Francisco, showed a very special selection of my father's ceramic work. Its rigorous beauty was bound to attract the visitors' attention. 

This is the piece you can see 

on the Lebreton Gallery website

Above, a display of smaller hand-modeled 

and enameled statuettes

This above is a fair example of how 
a ceramicist's own imprints can be used

It proved extremely emotional for those of our family who were able to attend the event to see these pieces displayed in such a  prestigious context. The smaller statues attract the eye, as would Japanese netsuke. The texture of the larger ones – such as vases, dishes, or an abstract-looking statue – is marked by the unique imprints of the artist, whose mastery of the kiln is undeniable. 

One's dream is to touch them, delicately, to turn them over, and to discover, somewhere, the powerful signature of their creator. Some privileged visitors did so. Fascinated by their find, they had to purchase them. 

Here is a beautiful setting for the artist's signature

as presented on the front page of the brochure edited

by Lebreton Gallery on that occasion. 

PR © Yvan Grubski

No one can say that the rough display does not 

enhance the quality of this enameled bowl

made (like all the other pieces) from chamotte clay, 

also known as "sandstone grog".

No doubt Eugene Fidler would have been proud and happy to find his work and himself in such an environment. Next to his display were also presented the works of his world-famous ceramicist friends François Raty and Roger Capron (the latter in another gallery)... The company could have been worse!

And for those who want to admire something (or someone!) else, here are three mirrors of beauty. 

The event closed its doors on Sunday June 17. We were also able to admire the works of major painters of the 20th century, presented in the other wing of the show. Their names? Picasso, Rothko, Dubuffet, De Staël, Fautrier... 

Despite the typical French strikes which forced us to juggle with flights, time tables, and the rest of it; despite the stress and fatigue involved, we will not forget the thrill of this amazing day spent in Basel. It will remain engraved in our memories, just like the enigmatic figures represented on this plaque. 

 

One last jewel, enamelled in gold, to end this post in style:

Thank you for sharing this article, if you have enjoyed the virtual visit! 

You will find more information about the work of Eugene Fidler by clicking on this link, which will take you to the blog of Jacques Lefebvre-Linetzky. His article on this artist is well worth discovering or re-reading! 

Some of the pieces shown above may later be on display in San Francisco, for those who are fortunate to live in or visit California. At the Lebreton Gallery, of course. 
(3307 Sacramento Street, San Francisco)

And for those who read French, the book I wrote – "EUGÈNE FIDLER - Terres mêlées"– may also be of interest as, in addition to the biographical and artistic data, it contains 40 beautiful reproductions of his works: ceramics, but also paintings, collages, water colors, engravings... 

So, please, feel free to leave a comment below if you need any more information.  

NB. Did I really write this post on Fathers' Day?Wow. 

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Photos by ©Jacques Lefebvre-Linetzky & Cathie Fidler