Camille Virot is a French ceramist born on 1 July 1947 in Calmoutier, Franche-Comté.

He studied ceramics at the École des Beaux-Arts in Besançon, then at the Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg. Camille Virot began his artistic training in the architecture studio at the Besançon School of Fine Arts before turning to ceramics in 1968. Over the course of his career, Camille Virot has established himself as a leading contemporary artist in the field of ceramics. His work is inspired by nature, in particular the mountains and the mineral hardness of the environment. Her ceramic creations express her deep relationship with the natural world. Camille Virot’s work has been exhibited in prestigious institutions, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon. Her reputation extends beyond France’s borders, with her creations being shown and sold in international galleries.

The main technique used by Camille Virot in her creations is raku, a ceramic firing method of Japanese origin. Camille Virot has adopted this traditional technique, which dates back to 16th-century Japan and is closely linked to the tea ceremony.

The raku practised by Camille Virot has several distinctive features:

• He uses it as a basis for developing a personal plastic expression.
• Virot sometimes incorporates other materials such as concrete, glass fragments or pottery shards into his raku works.
• This technique allows him to express his relationship with nature and his commitment to the environment.

Although raku is his preferred technique, it is important to note that since 1990 Camille Virot has also combined other materials with clay in his creations, expanding his technical repertoire while remaining true to his roots in raku.

He has also published major works on contemporary ceramics, including “L’atelier Camille Virot” and “Huit artistes et la Terre”, considered to be one of the major writings on ceramic art.

Camille Virot explores several main themes in her ceramic works:

• The relationship with nature:

  His creations are profoundly influenced by his environment, in particular the mountains and the mineral hardness that surround him.

• The expressiveness of materials:

  Camille Virot seeks to highlight the basic materials used, aiming for an “expressiveness of earth without artifice or shine” to rediscover the humility of folk pottery.

• The human and sensory dimension:

  He creates works, particularly bowls, rooted in a tactile and intimate dimension. Camille Virot uses a carnal vocabulary to describe his creations, referring to the body, the lips, the foot, making them a veritable “ceramics of the senses”.

• Exploring traditional forms :

  Camille Virot works on classic ceramic forms such as urns, jugs, bowls, salt cellars, bricks, tiles and boxes, but forgets their function of use to concentrate on their physical nature.

• Tradition meets innovation:

  While drawing inspiration from the traditional Japanese raku technique, Camille Virot constantly seeks to renew her artistic expression, sometimes combining other materials with clay since 1990.

These themes reflect Camille Virot’s approach, which combines respect for ceramic traditions with a quest for contemporary, personal artistic expression.

Camille Virot seeks to bring out the best in the basic materials she uses, aiming for an “expressiveness of clay without artifice or shine” to rediscover the humility of folk pottery. Her creations are profoundly influenced by her environment, in particular the mountains and the hardness of the minerals that surround her. Her pieces can have smooth or rough surfaces, sometimes with lime applied to the glaze before firing.
Camille Virot’s work is often described as rough, earthy and rooted.