Two polychrome faience figures, Madeleine Sougez (1891-1945) for Primavera, 1920-1930

A ceramist, sculptor and designer of the Art Deco period, Madeleine Sougez led one of the main sections of Atelier Primavera, the art studio of the Printemps department store. She was married to the photographer Emmanuel Sougez.

For Primavera she designed vases, covered pots and anthropomorphic or mythological jars in polychrome faience or painted terracotta, often made with the Céramique d'Art de Bordeaux. She also created faience figurines and, from 1925 to 1935, carved and painted wooden toys.

Founded in Paris in 1912, Primavera was the art studio of the Grands Magasins du Printemps. It grew out of a partnership between René Guilleré, a lawyer and one of the founders of the Société des artistes décorateurs, and Pierre Laguionie, then head of Printemps. Its principle was to design and produce modern furniture and objects in small series, sold in the store at affordable prices.

Artistic direction was entrusted to Charlotte Chauchet-Guilleré. She called on young designers, among them Louis Sognot, Marcel Guillemard, Madeleine Sougez and Claude Lévy. At the 1925 Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes, the studio had its own pavilion. The architects Henri Sauvage and Georges Wybo designed it, and she was responsible for its interior.

Ceramics became one of the house's favoured fields. In 1920 Primavera acquired a workshop at Sainte-Radegonde, near Tours, and worked with other manufacturers, notably the Céramique d'Art de Bordeaux and the Longwy faience works. Colette Gueden joined the studio in the 1930s and led its final decades, until production ceased in 1972. Alain-René Hardy devoted a monograph to its history, published in 2015.

All pieces by Primavera (4)

Custom packing and insured shipping, in France and worldwide. Quote on request.