Gerard Sandoz is the same age as the 20th century (1902 – 1995). His fate (like the fate of Raymond Templier or Jean Fouquet) was determined by family traditions. Under the strict guidance of his father, goldsmith Gustave-Roger Sandoz, at the age of 18 he took his first steps in the jewelry business, strengthening the fame of La Maison Gustave Sandoz.
However, Gerard’s career in this field was unexpectedly short, in 1928 his father sold his business to Georges L’Enfant, for whom Gerard worked as art director for several years until the closing of the jewelry house La Maison Gustave Sandoz. The heart of the young Sandoz was given to the cinema, the Great Silent made the artist develop as dynamically as before – in the jewelry art.
In 1929, Sandoz, along with his associates and friends – architects and artists, in search of a new word in art, participated in the creation of the “Union of Contemporary Artists” / L’Union des Artistes Modernes or UAM, which, in fact, was an alternative to the Parisian “Society of Artists – decorators”/SAD. The new association declared the need to make art accessible: “Modern art is indeed social art, art accessible to all, and not an imitation of the vanity of a few.”
In addition to jewelry, fashionable cigarette cases and minaudières, Sandoz created several original vases. Their number is a big question for historians and collectors, today 15 vases of different design are known, created in 1923-1924. The vases are made of copper and covered with hot enamel using the champlevé technique. Gerard’s father, Gustave-Roger Sandoz, was friendly with Emile Galle, creating a “noble frame” for vases from Galle’s laminated glass, so such experiments were quite conditioned by family tradition. Another issue is that the aesthetics were completely different.
