JEAN DERVAL (1925-2010) Volumes Bas-relief; possibly a mural model. Terracotta proof. Framed in spruce. Work alone: 23x38,5cm With frame: 26x41,5cm After graduating from the graphics department of the École des arts appliqués in Paris in 1944, Jean Derval was quickly recruited by the Christofle decoration workshop, which sent him to the workshop of Pierre Pigaglio (1913-?) in Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye, where he discovered ceramic design. The Pigaglio adventure lasted almost two years, during which the duo modernized utilitarian design. In 1947, he followed his friends and fellow students Roger Capron (1922-2006) and Robert Picault (1919-2000) to Vallauris, where he first worked alongside them, then for the Madoura studio and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). His own studio opened in 1951 - although he occasionally contributed to the work of other artists - where he devoted himself to perfecting a unique style that would earn him numerous awards and accolades. A very active protagonist in the Vallauris art scene, he also organizes events and exhibitions in this Côte d'Azur potters' village, as well as more widely in France and abroad. Derval's artistic personality blends many identities, and he remains highly receptive to the influences of his contemporaries. His works cover a wide range of motifs, from religious, mythological, figurative and fantastical figures to more abstract, stylized and graphic decorations. The classical forms of the ancient tradition are overturned in his works by a cubist distortion, giving rise to highly varied and refined creations, which would evolve in the 1960s towards more sculptural and architectural works.