Isabelle Emmerique: Contemporary Lacquer between tradition and modernity. Isabelle Emmerique practices European lacquer, a technique inspired by Asian traditions yet reinvented by the Martin Brothers in the 18th-century.

While the origins of lacquerware are undoubtedly Asian, a European tradition, strongly inspired by Chinese practices, has existed and endured for more than 300 years since the invention of Vernis Martin in France in the 18th century.

Since the Art Deco period, marked by Jean Dunand and Eileen Gray—with Dunand pioneering a distinctly French style—the art of lacquer has continued to evolve and renew itself.

Today, Isabelle Emmerique offers her own revisitation of lacquer : while preserving traditional techniques (Blanc de Meudon —chalk whiting powder— primers on wood, colors based on powdered pigments, hand-polished varnishes), that attest to the quality of craftsmanship, she also seeks to break free from the weight of tradition by embracing contemporary creative fields. Her favorite themes are travel, an inexhaustible source of inspiration, and the Breton landscapes she observes and sketches in situ with ink and watercolor before transposing them into lacquer.

From unique objects to monumental installations, Isabelle Emmerique demonstrates that lacquer can reclaim its place in both the decorative arts and the artistic world : through contemporary architecture (such as luxury hotels), the luxury sector (Hermès, Piaget), and as a major medium on the contemporary art scene.

References

In 2005, she received the Grand Prize at the Ishikawa Lacquer Triennial: this distinction, which had never before been awarded to a Western lacquer artist, recognized European lacquer as equal to Japanese lacquer for the first time in Japan.

In 2006, she was distinguished as Maître d’Art’ (Master of Art) by the Ministry of Culture for  her work in contemporary lacquer, and trained Marie de la Roussière as her apprentice for four years.

In 2006, she created 27 unique lacquer pieces for The Five Hotel in Paris (3 stars) in collaboration with architect Vincent Bastie (Murano, Eiffel Seine, etc.). Through this work, Isabelle Emmerique revived the great tradition of the 20th-century decorator-ensembliers. 

Since 2006, she has been pursuing a body of work, uniting her two passions : travel and lacquer, with her collection Les Portes du Monde (“Gates of the World”). These imaginary gates adorned with padlocks and precious symbolic objects gathered from: Vietnam, China, Myanmar, Russia, Syria, Japan, Nepal and Korea, combine the preciousness of collected pieces with the infinitely refined art of lacquer. With this work, she adopted the name Traveller-Lacquerer artist. 

From large installations (Collection ‘Passage’, giant sculpted pebbles) to smaller ones (‘Play Cube’, ‘Catch the Emptiness’), from Les Portes du Monde to seascapes spanning several meters long, her evolution is constant, with a continuous desire never to settle, but always to remain on the way ! 

To date, her atelier has welcomed more than 650 trainees. Over 21 years of teaching at the École Supérieure Nationale des Arts Appliqués (ENSAAMA), she has trained 120 students.

Now professor emeritus at ENSAAMA, Isabelle Emmerique has created a professional training program within her atelier, where anyone may learn, perfect their skills and create with lacquer. The legacy is alive !

Publications

Isabelle Emmerique, Laques, monograph, Nicolas Chaudun Editions, 224 pages - 2012
Laque, Art et Technique, co-authored, Vigo Editions, 320 pages - 2022
Les Portes du Monde - Itinéraire d’un laqueur-voyageur, Chemin de Traverses Editions, 192 pages - 2022