CLAUDE PANTZER (1930-1962) (CLAUDE PANTZERTAIT, DIT) Les Oiseaux écuyers, 1956 Very large hollow bowl. Glazed ceramic proof; the title decoration inside, entirely covered and treated in polychrome. Signed and dated Cl. PANTZER 1956, in incisions below the base. Height: 9cm - Diameter: 39cm Provenance: Galerie Thomas Fritsch, Paris: Galerie Thomas Fritsch, Paris. Claude Pantzer, sculptor-ceramist and amateur racing driver, remains a rare and singular figure on the post-war ceramics scene. Few works survive, and sources relating to his career are limited, making his work all the more precious. Moving to Brazil in his early years, he collaborated with sculptor Robert Tatin (1902-1983) and exhibited his first creations in South America. On his return to France, he frequented the milieu of modernist decorators and architects, collaborating in particular with Colette Guéden (1905-2000) and Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999). In 1961, he took part in two major events: his exhibition at the Galerie Steph Simon, a key venue for French design, followed by the Paris Biennale. Shortly afterwards, he created a world map in copper and ceramic for the Air France offices in Brasilia, echoing Charlotte Perriand's work for the same company's offices in Rio de Janeiro. His creations are characterized by a sculptural approach to earth, worked in materials such as lava, sulfur and cobalt. Abstract reliefs and sculptures dominate, but some works reveal a figurative aspect and a definite attraction for color, echoing his many travels, particularly in South America. Pantzer's untimely death in 1962, following an accident during an automobile race, put an end to a promising career, and largely explains the rarity of his pieces.