Jacques Blin

Jacques Blin, born in Pierrefonds, Oise, in 1920, initially graduated in Aeronautical and Automotive Industries. After teaching industrial drawing in Paris and working as an engineer in La Rochelle, he joined Matra Aviation in Paris. However, his passion for the plastic arts led him to abandon aeronautics in 1949 to devote himself to art ceramics. He began creating jewelry and lamps at home, then explored decorative and utilitarian ceramics in various Parisian workshops, as well as in Auxon and Indre-et-Loire. His creations, ranging from unique pieces to small series, testify to his inventive spirit and sometimes recall his past in aeronautics.
In Paris, he regularly exhibited at the Salon des Ateliers d’Art from 1953, where his enameled pieces, with dynamic forms inspired by the living, attracted attention. His encounter with the painter Jean Rustin around 1955 contributed to defining his distinctive style, characterized by hand-drawn decorations and the use of metallic oxides to create cloudy or rocky effects.
His work was rewarded in national and international exhibitions, notably for his neo-prehistoric rock-like pieces. Over the years, his colors lightened and his shapes softened, while remaining faithful to his enameling and engraving technique. Alongside his artistic career, Jacques Blin actively engaged in the defense and promotion of craft professions. He chaired the Chamber of Ceramists and Art Workshops of France from 1971 to 1991 and was honored with several distinctions, including the National Order of Merit and the Legion of Honor. As Vice-President of the French Confederation of Craft Trades, he also held the Vice-Presidency of the International Academy of Ceramics for twenty years.