Rare Fisherman And His Fish Crates By François-marie Caujan Dit Fanch - Brittany

Manufacture HB Quimper, polychrome earthenware. Around 1930. Height 11 cm, width 10 cm.

François-Marie Caujan known as Fanch (1902-1945), son of a cabinetmaker, took drawing lessons from Paul Léonard in Brest. Subsequently, he entered the Regional School of Fine Arts in Nantes in the workshops of Fougerat, Simon, Stany-Gauthier. Following his Breton studies, he passed the entrance exam for the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1924, after finishing his studies, he moved to Brest and became friends in Saint-Pol-Roux. He participated in the creation of a group of artists "the Breton phalanx" which included Jim Sévellec among others. In 1925, he participated in the Decorative Arts exhibition. In 1926 and 1927 he was present in many typical Parisian Salons: Independent Artists, Salon d'Automne, Salon Nationale des Beaux Arts and that of the Tuileries. It is undoubtedly also at this time that we should place the start of his collaboration with the HB Manufacture. We can think that Caujan's friendship with Quillivic explains the choice of this Manufacture. He pursued his artistic career both regionally (Artistic Union of Quimper in 1935), nationally (exhibition of arts and techniques in 1937, exhibition at the Petit Palais 1939), and internationally (Algiers 1934, New York 1939). He died in Landerneau accidentally in 1945. He published plays under his name François Caujan and plays under the pseudonym Fanch. The most daring and modern pieces will be under his name. It is very likely that he reserved his pseudonym for more commercial pieces.