Personal Perspective

JASON JACQUES: Dealer in European Art Ceramics

Unexpected. Vibrant. Bohemian. Occasionally bizarre. Words like these

describe the Art Nouveau and Japanese-inspired European pottery that

Jason Jacques sells from his Manhattan gallery--and they apply just as well to

his colorful and far-from-conventional career.

Although raised in Chicago, Jason Jacques developed his taste for the distinctive forms and finishes of Art Nouveau lusterware in more exotic locales. His father, an amateur lepidopterist, took the family on vacations to the Amazon, where young Jason was riveted by the iridescent wings of the beetles and butterflies. At age 14, when he starred scuba diving, he found a similar fascination in the dreamlike, undulating undersea world. So, in high school, when he first encountered the work of French ceramist Clement Massier, the organic shapes, the magical glazes, and the delicate depiction's of flowers, moths, and sea creatures struck an immediate chord.

"My best friend's father had a gallery with one showcase of Massier ceramics. J didn't know what the stuff was, bur I knew I liked it," says Jason. To make money for college, he worked in the gallery, investing several weeks' pay in his first Massier pot. Soon afterwards, on a trip to Paris, he discovered he could support himself by scouting for pottery and shipping it back to his friend's father. As he learned more about Massier and other ceramic firms of the time--especially Zsolnay in Hungary and Amphora in Austria-his initial interest became a passion that would only grow stronger with the years. Before long, he'd traded in college plans for an education in the flea markets and upscale galleries of Paris and Vienna.

"{ I was in the flea markets at 5 a.m. with a flashlight," he remembers. "1 haunted the Rive Gauche shops week after week after week, learning everything I could about these things I loved and couldn't afford." He discovered that the creators of luster ceramics were indeed inspired by a new and closer look at nature, especially the undersea and insect worlds; and that their designs also drew from Darwinism, from Japanese decorative arts, and from Freud's brand-new theories of dreams and the subconscious-ideas which also influenced the otherworldly visions of the
Symbolist painters.

For more than five years, Jason lived for his obsession, working as a "picket" for American dealers, sleeping on a mattress he made from bubble-wrap, and pouring nearly all of his earnings back into pottery. Recognition came when a private colllector decided Massier ceramics would add the perfect touch to a home filled with modern art. Jacques built him what may be the world's finest Massier collection. At the same time, he established his own reputation as a knowledgeable and trustworthy dealer.
Stil! in his 20s, Jason moved back to the U.S. to set up shop. Soon after his return, while en route to an antique show in Miami Beach, he happened to make a sale of several pieces of Zsolnay pottery. In honor of the occasion, he dyed his hair Zsolnay-green with Kool-aid. Needless to say, the dye-job made him the talk of theMiami show; "My customers still remember! No matter how presentable I am today, they still think of me as the guy with the Zsolnay-colored hair."

Now in his 30s-and with the green hair now brown-Jason Jacques presides over an impressive Manhattan showroom, with a stock of lusterware and japoniste ceramics worthy of the Musee d'Orsay and Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. Top pieces go for upwards of $50,000, although exquisite examples can be had in the $5-7,000 range. Already a contributor to a book on Amphora pottery, he has begun work on a study on Clement Massier, and hopes eventually to produce a book a year.
When beginning collectors ask him for advice, he tells them, "Don't try to be smarter than the dealers who handle these objects every day. Instead, find a dealer you can trust to work with you. You won't pay the least, but you'll get the pieces that appreciate most. Instead of three second-tier examples, for instance, buy one of the best-even if it hurts! The value and the pleasure of having the piece will only increase as years go by."

While Jason may have settled down in some ways, each day, each new pot, remains an adventure. The passion is stronger than ever. "I consider my stock to be my personal collection, one that constantly changes and evolves. I buy with the thought that if I can't sell a piece and have to keep it forever, then that's a blessing, not a problem. It's a blissful experience-each vessel carries the spirit of the artist, and I have the honor of having them in my life for a while as they pass through into other people's lives."

Anne Stewart O'Donnell

Visit Jason Jacque's showroom at 40 West 25th Street in New York City. 646-32/-3999. or ceramic1900.com.