spotlight

La journée de la poterie á Vallauris, 1985

While many remember Jean Marais (born 11th December 1913) as a French actor – starring in over 100 films – he also possessed a plethora of other talents; including painting, drawing, sculpture, and most importantly, ceramics.

We take a look at an incredibly rare, original poster he painted titled ‘La journée de la poterie á Vallauris’ – a beguiling red and white design influenced by the world-renowned ceramics centre of Vallauris where he once lived, and the influence of lover and visual artist Jean Cocteau.

The influence of Cocteau

When Jean Marais was in his early twenties, the aspiring actor discovered Jean Cocteau through his drawings. Infatuated by his avant-garde designs, Marais made it his mission to meet the influential artist.

In 1937, his dream came true when he met Cocteau in Paris. Within 10 days, the two were deeply in love. Their relationship was extremely passionate and had a huge impact on both their artistic outlets.

Cocteau cast Marais in his cinematic projects, including the 1946 version of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and the French drama ‘Orpheus’. As an important member of the avant-garde, Cocteau also enjoyed creating fluid-style prints influenced by Surrealism. His decorative aesthetic heavily influenced Marais’ new vocation.

A world-renowned ceramics centre

Although he sadly lost Cocteau in 1963 to a heart attack, Marais continued his legacy through with his ceramics. 

After he had completed an apprenticeship in pottery, he moved to Vallauris, a small town in the South of France and a world-renowned ceramics centre. 

The town was renowned for hosting annual events to promote and reward artistic creation in the field of ceramics, which attracted the attention of international artists such as Picasso.

La journée de la poterie á Vallauris, 1985 (Signed original), Jean Marais

La journée de la poterie á Vallauris

In 1985 Marais was commissioned to produce a poster promoting the town’s annual pottery festival, held in August each year.

Marais created ‘La journée de la poterie á Vallauris’ a vivid red poster featuring a man morphing into a vase – a metaphor for the potter’s dedication to their work in clay.

Painted on paper by Marais, this original artwork would have been used as the master copy from which a run of lithographic poster editions were printed to promote the event. 

The stylised figure with exaggerated eyes and hands looping through the vase handles is reminiscent of Cocteau’s avant-garde style.

Jean Marias’ legacy

Marais’ use of thin black lines and italicised calligraphy is similar to the angel-like figure in ‘Chapelle Saint Pierre, Villefranche sur Mer’, produced by Cocteau in anticipation for his largest architectural feat – decorating The Saint-Pierre chapel in Villefranche-sur-Mer. 

Marias produced the annual pottery festival poster for the next 15 years and, until his death in 1998, he also played an active role in the local community.

Inspired by his fellow ceramicists, Marias gifted ‘La Rebellissière’, a multi-headed statue, to the council of Vallauris which still remains in the lower section of the town.

Related stories

spotlight Meet painter and printmaker David Price

The Margate-based artist talks to curator Becca Pelly-Fry about his fascination with brash, colourful ‘non-art’, and the edition he’s made for our Curated Editions collection, New Mythologies.

Suggested filters

spotlight Ele Pack’s new beginnings and emotion-filled abstracts

Upon the release of our latest collection with artist Ele pack, we caught up with her to discuss her recent relocation to Derbyshire, and the new direction of her work.

Suggested filters

spotlight Meet Manchester light installation artist Liz West

We caught up with the celebrated artist to discuss her fascinating artistic practice and the newly-available limited-edition prints of her imaginative sculptural drawings.

spotlight La journée de la poterie á Vallauris, 1985

Translated from French as, ‘A special day of pottery in Vallauris, 11th August 1985; a big party’, this incredibly rare poster was created by French actor and artist Jean Marais. We take a look at how the field of ceramics and his relationship with Jean Cocteau influenced his design.

spotlight Exhibitions to see this spring

Discover our top picks, brought to you by many of our long-standing museum and art gallery partners including the Tate, Royal Academy and The National Gallery.

spotlight Meet Willie Christie

We catch up with photographer Willie Christie to discuss his remarkable career and his limited edition prints.

spotlight The rare Visual Aid charity silkscreen designed by 104 leading British artists

Join us as we delve deeper into the significance of the rare silkscreen print featuring original artwork tiles produced by rock stars of the British art world David Hockney, Frank Bowling, Howard Hodgkin, and Bridget Riley to name a few.  

spotlight Rare: David Hockney’s 1972 Threepenny Opera poster

This extremely rare promotional theatre poster was designed by the Bradford artist in 1972. Learn more about its creation and the subversive characters it depicts.

spotlight David Hockney’s collectible exhibition posters

Discover the collectible exhibition posters Hockney designed for Tate, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Opera and more.

spotlight ‘I love you so’, 1958, by Andy Warhol

Long before he created silkscreens of movie stars and soup cans that catapulted him onto the world stage, Warhol drew many whimsical illustrations for prestigious New York magazines. Learn more about his lesser-known but much-loved ‘I love you so’ artwork.

spotlight Picasso’s love affair with linocuts and lithography at Imprimerie Arnéra

When the famed Spanish artist moved from Paris to Provence in the 1940s, he met talented printmaker Hidalgo Arnéra. Together, they pushed the boundaries of the medium, turning it into a true art form.

spotlight Meet London artist and fashion designer Blue Farrier

We catch up with her to discuss her unique artistic practice and the new signed limited edition prints she’s produced with us.

spotlight Miró’s lithographic evolution at the acclaimed Atelier Mourlot

On Joan Miró's frequent visits to Paris in the 1930s, he developed a close friendship with master printmaker Fernand Mourlot, and became a permanent fixture at the world-renowned lithographic studio in Paris. 

spotlight Publishing highlights 2022: an interview with our Founder, Gyr King

The past year has been filled with a range of exciting new King & McGaw launches. We asked our founder and CEO to reflect on his 2022 highlights and what’s on the horizon.

spotlight Meet Brighton knitwear and crochet artist Kate Jenkins

Learn more about her fascinating artistic practice and the newly-available limited edition knitted paint tubes she’s created in collaboration with us.

Suggested filters

Subscribe to our newsletter
Be the first to hear about our new collections, limited edition launches, and enjoy artist interviews.

By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy.

Contact us: customer care
Email us
01273 511 942
Mon-Thurs, 9 am - 5 pm Fri 9 am - 2 pm

All art prints and images on this website are copyright protected and belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved.