Jean Luce (1895 – 1964) was a French ceramicist and glassware designer born in Paris.
Early Years
Luce worked in his father’s ceramics shop, which made table crockery. In 1923, he opened his shop, although he could not take over its direction until 1931. From 1931 onwards, specialising in ceramics and glass for the table, Luce concentrated on the double problem of shape and decoration. Painted by hand or from stencils, his motifs were linear and naturalistically styled in the Art Moderne manner, highlighted with gold for luxury pieces.
Sample of Works
Biography
His early work was in clear enamelled decoration, and, from c1924, he used sandblasting. In 1935, he designed porcelain and glass for the ocean liner Normandie, adopted by the Compagnie Generale Transatlantique for their other ships. In the early 1930s, he designed glassware produced by Cristal de Saint-Louis and, in the late 1950s, stainless-steel flatware for Sola France. In 1937, he became a member of UAM (Union des Artistes Modernes). He taught at the Ecole des Arts Appliques in Paris and was a technical advisor at Sevres. In the mid-1980s, Les Verreries de la Rochere reproduced Luce’s mouth-blown drinking glasses from original designs of c1925. A coffee tea set was reissued by Lumen Center 1988-91.
Exhibitions
In 1921, he first showed his work at the Musée Galliéra, Paris, and subsequently at the Salons d’Automne and Salons of the Societe des Artistes Decorateurs. He was a Juror at the 1925 Pans ‘Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes‘ and 1937 Paris ‘Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne’. He showed his work in the UAM pavilion there. He was responsible for the glassware-plate section of 1949-50 (I) ‘Formes Utiles’ exhibition at the Pavillon de Marsan and exhibited in its 1953 and 1958 exhibitions.
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Sources
Woodham, J. M. (2006). A dictionary of modern design. Oxford University Press.