Les poteries d'Accolay

Poterie d’Accolay is the name given to a community of potters based in the village of Accolay, in the Yonne department. This production center was created by four former students of Alexandre Kostanda.
Active from 1945 to 1989, their pottery is characterized by great technical inventiveness and extremely abundant production. The community of potters exploited the proximity of the N6 motorway by taking over service stations and turning them into permanent exhibition sites on the migration circuit of Parisian tourists. Their exhibition buildings, inspired by the constructions of the Le Mans 24-hour race circuit, became the obligatory stopover for holidaymakers in transit. This form of marketing continued at the entrance to Vermenton until the factory closed in 1989. The creation of the Lyon freeway had, however, diverted the flow of tourists for several years. On December 25, 1964, the Potiers d’Accolay became legally structured under the name “Création Expositions de Poteries d’Art Moderne” (CEPAM).