French ceramist Eric Astoul (b. 1954, Morocco) infuses his sculptures with the essence of ancient and modern earthenware he has encountered along his travels in France, England, Japan, and Africa. In 1982, after training in various artists’ studios and significant travel abroad, he settled in the ceramicists’ community of La Borne in central France, known for its distinct stoneware ceramics (grès). There, he fires each piece for a period of eight days in his wood­burning Anagama kiln.
While respecting La Borne’s historical stature as a center of wood and sandstone fired ceramics, Astoul turns tradition on its head with his heavily textured pieces. His signature strokes and dense patterns reveal the work of a master’s hand.
His work is found in the collections of the Musée National Adrien­Dubouché (Limoges, France), the Musée National de la céramique (Sèvres, France), the Ceramics Museum (Frechen, Germany), the Prinzregentenstr Museum (Munich, Germany) among other institutions. He has also participated in solo and group exhibitions at galleries and museums in France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and the United States.