Jean Cocteau Collection by Roche Bobois Blends Art With Decoration

The timing of this new collection by Roche Bobois commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Jean Cocteau, one of the greatest French artists of the 20th century. End Quote

Miami, FL (1888PressRelease) December 11, 2013 - The year 2013 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Jean Cocteau's death on October 11, 1963, and provides the opportunity for numerous commemorations which highlight the strength of his work in every field of art, from poetry and literature to the graphic arts, theatre, cinema and music.

The Jean Cocteau Committee was keen to work in collaboration with international home furnishings company Roche Bobois to create a collection that pays homage to the prolific Cocteau. Cocteau was a multi-disciplinary protean artist who embraced creativity in all its forms, and this collection shows several of those facets. With inimitable elegance, he created a body of work that is considered today to be of great importance. The Roche Bobois collection reminds us of the strength and contemporaneity of his work.

Cocteau is considered one of the greatest French artists of the 20th century, and Roche Bobois considers it a great privilege to have been entrusted by the Jean Cocteau Committee with the responsibility of creating a new collection around his work. The result is a range of fine quality accessories whose motifs and patterns blend art with decoration. The designs represent a direct continuation of the work of an artist who had explored the area of decoration himself, as seen in his ceramics and the frescoes of Villa Santo Sospir аt Saint Jean Cap Ferrat.

When the Jean Cocteau Committee and Roche Bobois came together to discuss the idea of designing a collection, the focus was on re-issuing Cocteau's ceramics. The artist cconsidered his clay creations as artworks in their own right, rather than a form of applied art. Executed between 1957 and 1963 by the Madeline-Jolly pottery workshop in Ville Franche-sur-Mer, his ceramics developed themes dear to Cocteau, who remained deeply involved in their manufacture. Cocteau described their ornamentation as a form of tattoo and developed novel techniques, such as using an oxide pencil, for applying his markings.

Roche Bobois turned to one of the few potters capable of faithfully reproducing the pieces of the original edition. This passionate Italian master craftsman and collector has recreated the artist's markings with a perfectionist's uncompromising attention to detail. The one difference is that he applied some details prior to firing, rather than after, for the purposes of preservation.

The reissue of these ceramics are presented as a limited and numbered series, as befits a collection that can truly be described as 'artworks'.

Referencing Cocteau's pictorial and poetic designs within textiles seems like a natural progression. The extent of the collection's range allows for a harmonious scale and his sketches and drawings lend themselves perfectly to the patterns that adorn expertly woven rugs, embroidered cushions, bed linens, throws and lampshades. A charming assortment of faces in silhouette, colors and words distil the essence of Cocteau's artistic and convivial spirit.

Thanks to these magnificent decorative objects, Jean Cocteau's epitaph, "I stay with you," is truer than ever. Roche Bobois is proud to be involved in bringing these works to the attention of the world.

The Roche Bobois Paris brand was born in 1960, resulting from a merger of two French family businesses. The company has become a worldwide symbol of fine European-made furniture, design and distribution, with 250 retail showrooms in 45 countries throughout the world. Showrooms in Florida are located in North Palm Beach and Coral Gables. Call (561) 835-4982 or (305) 444-1168 respectively. Or visit roche-bobois.com.

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