Mayan ceramic wall mask from Accolay, art brut, 1960s

If there is one manufacturer that has left its mark on the history of contemporary ceramics in the 50s and 60s, it is the accolay pottery, named after the eponymous village located in the yonne in burgundy, which occupied a strategic position on the holiday route between paris and the south of france. Initially manufacturers of ceramic buttons for the designer christian dior, the accolay potters quickly evolved towards a more figurative style whose patterns were directly inspired by current events. Thus, in 1968, an exhibition at the grand palais devoted to mayan art gave rise to a collection of ceramics from which this mask is taken. With its grainy texture, its differences in relief, its bright flat colors and its shape that was both organic and asymmetrical, it alone embodies the entire style of accolay pottery. Hung on the living room wall or above the fireplace, it will look great, and its naive and curious air will make it a protective and caring companion. The mask is in very good general condition. It has no chips or cracks. Fasteners set in the earth allow it to be hung or fixed on a display stand. Accolay signature engraved on the back of the mask.