Les Ruelland: ‘They drew on their individual artistic experiences — Jacques as a painter, Dani as a sculptor — to create ceramic works like no other’

Jacques (1926-2008) and Dani (1933-2010) Ruelland were hugely influential figures in mid-20th-century design. Known collectively as Les Ruelland, they garnered a reputation for their distinctive ceramics, blending formal simplicity and chromatic richness.

‘They were a couple in life and art,’ says Capucine Tamboise, a specialist in the Design department at Christie’s in Paris. ‘They drew on their individual artistic experiences — Jacques as a painter, Dani as a sculptor — to create ceramic works like no other.’

The couple met in 1949 and began working together in the early 1950s, moving into their own studio in Paris in 1953. They drew inspiration from a wide range of shared interests and art-historical references, from painting and theatre to dance and music. ‘Ceramics became the meeting point of our respective backgrounds in sculpture and painting,’ said Dani Ruelland. ‘Concerns of volumes, materials and colours became intertwined.’

For the duration of their creative partnership, Dani focused on drawing and sculpting, Jacques on modelling and glazing. Their ceramic creations — vases, lamps, bottles and other decorative objects — were the result of continuous experimentation, and are imbued with their passion for poetry, alchemy, nature and sensuality.

‘There’s something so visually striking about their work,’ says Christie’s head of Design, Europe, Flavien Gaillard. ‘But their fluid forms and silky surfaces are also extremely appealing to the touch.’

Although Les Ruelland exhibited widely during their lifetime, their work later slipped into the shadows somewhat. Now, however, their reputation is on the rise again.

Over the past decade, the businessman Frédéric Cassin and his wife, the television and fashion personality Cristina Córdula, have assembled around 250 works by Les Ruelland, spanning the artists’ two major creative periods: from the 1950s to 1970; and from 1970 to 1991. The first is characterised by the use of vivid colour, the second by experimental forms and a subdued palette dominated by shades of grey, white and black.

‘Cristina and I worked together to compose this collection,’ says Frédéric Cassin. ‘She, through her sense of style and keen artistic eye, and I, because I work in the world of fragrance and have always been in love with beautiful vessels.’

The collection will be offered in the Design sale on 3 December 2024 at Christie’s in Paris. The 250 pieces are grouped into 65 lots, each exemplifying Les Ruelland’s innovative approach to line, form and colour. ‘We are thrilled to spotlight this artist duo in our forthcoming Design sale,’ says Tamboise, adding that this is the most comprehensive collection of Les Ruelland’s work ever to be offered at auction. ‘We are always looking to offer our clients new opportunities for learning and discovery.’

Over the course of their career, Les Ruelland continued to push the boundaries of their craft, experimenting with materials, techniques and designs to create ceramics that celebrated the senses. They modified the composition of their clay, turning it blacker to enhance the colour of their ceramics, and developed manganese-based glazes to give their creations a glossy appearance.

The vases in lots 2, 5 and 6 are covered with their signature brightly coloured, high-gloss glazes. ‘These early pieces really come to life in groups,’ says the specialist. ‘Their vibrant palette of reds, yellows, greens and blues may have been influenced by the emergence of Pop art during the mid-to-late 1950s.’

In contrast to the previously mentioned lots, Ensemble de onze vases ‘Roseaux’, circa 1980, was conceived as a group of 11 pieces by Les Ruelland at the time of production. Typical of their second period, it features complex cylindrical forms in a monochrome palette. ‘Diverted from any utilitarian purpose, Les Ruelland’s work speaks an organic language driven by a seemingly simple geometric grammar,’ says Frédéric Cassin. ‘Eluding perfect symmetry, its volumes are those of nature, so much so that they turn into a landscape or a forest when they are assembled.’

Another notable lot from their second period is Ensemble de trois vases ‘Demoiselles d’Avignon’ from 1991. It is among the last works produced by the artists before the closure of their studio that year. ‘Its title [a reference to Picasso’s famous work] reveals to what extent Les Ruelland were influenced and inspired by their contemporaries,’ says Tamboise.

Also offered for sale is a selection of Les Ruelland’s large-scale round vases. ‘It’s hard to get a sense of their scale and material presence until they are right in front of you,’ says Flavien Gaillard, pointing to lots 29, 31 and 32 by way of example. ‘There’s a harmonious balance between curve, line and volume in these works, which gives them an almost sculptural dimension.’

In addition to decorative vases of all colours, shapes and sizes, the sale features a variety of lamps and a selection of rare musical works, among them Carillons ‘Sonnailles’ (circa 1980) and Ensemble de trois vasques sonores (circa 1980). ‘We know from archive material that Les Ruelland hosted exhibitions, workshops and musical performances in their studio,’ says Gaillard. One such was Centenaire le Corbusier: Architecture, Musique in 1987, which featured an installation of sound vases similar to trois vasques sonores. ‘It’s tantalising to think that the vases we’re offering could have been the ones in that exhibition.’

Gaillard believes that the variety of pieces within the collection will appeal to collectors, designers and interior decorators around the world. ‘We hope the curated groupings, featuring works of different colours, sizes and heights, will reveal the breadth of Les Ruelland’s creativity, while also showing collectors how they can be displayed in contemporary interiors to create maximum visual impact.’

On 3 December 2024, Christie’s in Paris will offer some 180 lots in the Design sale. It will feature works by mid-century French masters Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand, Jean Royère and Georges Jouve through to more contemporary pieces, such as a Maria Pergay ensemble and iconic works by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. On view from 28 November to 3 December