GILBERT PORTANIER (1926-2023) Sculpture, 2002 Sculpture. Polychrome glazed ceramic. Signed and dated PORTANIER (20)02 lower right. Height: 35cm Provenance: Salvatore Parisi Collection: Salvatore Parisi Collection. GILBERT PORTANIER (1926-2023) Gilbert Portanier, nicknamed the "Magician of colors", stands out for the subtlety of his palette and the decorative aspect of his work. Settling in Vallauris in 1948, he co-founded the Le Tryptique ceramics workshop with Francine Del Pierre and Albert Diato. Initially influenced by the forms of Far Eastern ceramics, his work was gradually enriched by a personal pictorial and graphic language. His designs are refined, sometimes abstract, combining rigor of line and sensitivity of brush. Inspired by ancient Greek ceramics, he incorporated friezes and narrative frames into his pieces. From the 1960s onwards, his work tended towards sculpture, gradually freeing itself from formal constraints.