The collection of works assembled for the Magen H Gallery's exhibition and publication, La Borne: 1940-1980, reflects a form of maturity acquired over the years through contact with ceramic works, artists, and collectors. In organizing both the display and book I have revisited the circumstances in which I first encountered the La Borne movement. There were pieces from Vallauris and Dieulefit next to works by George Jouve. Instantly, my eyes seized upon the La Borne ceramics, contrasting in shape, color and pattern with the Vallauris ceramics. The La Borne objects were enigmatic in character - sober, slow, silent. There was a pitcher by Jean and Jacqueline Lerat, a plate by Anne Kjaersgaard. I remember being struck by the power that emerged from these pieces and their absence of overt seduction. Simultaneously raw and sophisticated, they were, above all, precise. Their connection to earth was palpable. The insights and knowledge offered in this book will, I hope, allow the reader to understand the works in their richest dimensions and comprehend the originality of a creative approach to ceramics which, by establishing a dialogue with abstract sculpture and art, opened new aesthetic grounds in stoneware between 1940 and 1980.
$150