DENISE GATARD (1908-1991) Molar, circa 1950 Two free-form mortar bowls. Crackled burnished gold glazed ceramic proofs. Height: 4.5cm - Length: 6cm Bibliography and related works: Mission céramique- Collection Jean Jacques et Bénédicte Wattel - Catalogue of the exhibition organized at the Musée de la faı̈ence de Sarreguemines, (June 26 - November 3, 2013); at the Musée d'art moderne de Troyes (November 16, 2013 - April 6, 2014), Éditions Louvre Victoire, Paris, 2013. An identical model, with variant enameling, is reproduced on page 113. Denise Gatard's artistic production was deeply influenced by several artists: Jean Jouve, her father, an architect and decorator; Georges Jouve (1910-1964), her brother, with whom she studied ceramics; Jean Dunand (1877-1942), in whose workshop she learned to work with gold powder; Maurice Pré (1907-1988), her husband, a decorator. Drawing on these experiences and encounters, Gatard's ceramic work is characterized by a refined aesthetic, often asymmetrical and graphic, but always elegant, in which she alternates white, brown-black-gold, sometimes enriched with craquelure, with brighter colors. Inspired and trained by her brother, Georges Jouve, she developed her own ceramic language, which soon brought her great renown.