Vintage Decorative Ceramic Fruit Bowl by Atelier Menelika (circa 1960s)

A stunning 1960s hand-painted art pottery fruit bowl with a portrait by Atelier Menelika, Geneva, Switzerland (circa 1960s). The piece was painted in a modern style for Atelier Manelika by its founders, Helene Amoudruz with Charles Imbert. Painted using the ethereal colours of an early morning, swirling sky, the bowl sits on a darker pedestal. On the inside of the bowl is a portrait of a young woman, reminiscent of Picasso's (1881-1973) depictions of the women he loved during his lifetime. The piece is in good overall condition. Menelika's earthenware quite regularly shows firing defects. This imperfection ultimately contributed to the lyricism and this naivety that Menelika considers to be founding qualities of the deep nature of their medium. The sticker of the pottery is affixed to the base. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying this listing. Upon request a video will be provided.

About the Artists: In 1924, Hélène Imbert-Amoudruz (1894-1987) and her husband Charles Imbert (1899-1985) opened a ceramics workshop in the city of Geneva, rue du Stand, under the name "Poterie d'art Menelika". Their studio was at its creative height in the period between the wars and made Geneva an extremely lively ceramic centre. The decor on their ceramics offer recurring themes but with different interpretations. Their finest earthenware is embellished with animated scenes that recount those favourite themes: lunches en plein air, Adam and Eve in paradise, hunting scenes, the circus or the funfair, exotic animals, Africa. These same subjects are found throughout the production, constantly revisited, whether in the pictorial style or in the palette of enamels. After being influenced by modern painting between 1927 and 1930, Charles Imbert developed a personal style, imbued with joyful naivety and charming lyricism. This passionate couple immersed themselves with total pleasure in the world of ceramics, without necessarily claiming to have total mastery of the profession. Their earthenware, and even among the most ambitious ones, moreover quite regularly shows firing defects. This imperfection ultimately contributes to this lyricism and this naivety that Menelika considers to be founding qualities of the deep nature of their medium.

Dimensions:

H 14 cm / 5.5"

Dia 26 cm / 10.2"