Jean-Christophe Hermann grew up near Lake Annecy in France, and recalls visiting an old pottery at just five years old that inspired him to pursue ceramics – a moment that led to the opening of Poterie d’Évires in 1971. Influenced by the landscape of their Haute-Savoie home, the Hermann family – Jean-Christophe and David, the father and son duo – hand-paint local delights onto their light, earthy and decorative clay; alpine flowers like tiny crocuses and soldanellas often feature, as well as native creatures such as Chamois and Ibex. ABASK made a special road-trip to the French Alps to hand-pick a curation from their exquisite collection. In 1981, after exploring his region’s brocante for many years, Jean-Christophe opened a museum dedicated to the pottery and folk art of Savoie. It’s the largest and most comprehensive collection in the world and displays pieces that date as far back as the 12th century.