Simple breadmaking completed decades of innovative techniques, international exhibitions and gorgeous pottery for one of Mexico’s most famous artisans, Jorge Wilmot.
Jorge Wilmot is one of the most distinguished artisans of Mexico. He was born in Monterrey, in 1928. He studied at the Academy of San Carlos and in the early 1950s traveled to Paris, Sweden and Switzerland to further his artistic studies. Wilmot generated innovations in technique and design and in the 1960s he held annual exhibits of his work at the Ines Amor Gallery. This led to his work being noticed outside Mexico which brought him fame and recognition.
Wilmot’s two main contributions to Mexican ceramics is the introduction of high fire ceramics such as stoneware and blending of traditional Mexican designs and motifs with international and modern influences. Here at Eye’s Gallery we have only one of his bigger pieces but that piece is a perfect testament to Wilmot’s style.
An original Jorge Wilmot owl bowl, $250.
Jorge Wilmot passed away January 12th, 2012 at the age of 83. During his last years he no longer considered pottery the focal point of his life. After decades of immersion in ceramics and handicrafts he felt that the circle closed, and completed. Although Wilmot still believed that art is an integral part of the world, he was now more interested in breadmaking. In an interview in 2006 he said, “Right now, I’m dedicating myself to trying to…teach people to make bread. Since we live in a world of lies, then this is something that is in earnest.”
He described how the contemporary Mexico and the world as a whole are caught up in a dark era, “We are in a bad period. In India, according to their way of thinking, there are kalpas that last I don’t know how many thousands of years. And right now we are in the kalpa of conflicts. …all these invasions that we have by Wal-mart and McDonald’s and other horrors…”
Although Wilmot loved the old Mexico and its pure and clean nature, he was always acutely focused on the present. “For me, ‘remembering is living’ is not the way it is.”
Wilmot received many awards during his career and was deemed “Creator Emeritus” by the National System of Creators of Art for his contribution to Mexico’s cultural legacy as well as to the development of other generations of artists. Aside from his native Mexico, exhibitions with 300-600 pieces of Wilmot’s work have been held in various countries such as France, Canada and Japan.
Besides the owl piece, we also have small high-fire tiles by Jorge Wilmot.
Leaf decorated tiles, $4.50
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