The French craftsman making beautiful tiles for a Monaco landmark

Anyone doubting ceramicist Stéphane Montalto’s skill need look no further than the Café de Paris in Monte Carlo.

The 68-year-old has been charged with replacing its original, worn-out ornamental tiles with an identical new set and the colours pop yellow, white and blue in his nearby Roquebrune-Cap-Martin studio ahead of their installation.

“I don’t think I had seen so much dust in my life,” he says, theorising that it must have accrued from almost a century of Formula 1 cars passing by – Café de Paris sits near the fourth turn of Monaco’s Grand Prix circuit.

The tiles are the latest project in a ceramics career spanning more than four decades.

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Prestigious award from French president

“I am a craftsman in the arts,” is how Mr Montalto defines himself, although he freely admits that he has buckled, broken, cracked and split as many objects as he has created, refurbished or perfected.

His craftsmanship was recognised in 2011 by a prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) award.

The contest is open to a range of professions, from cheesemongers to hairdressers, with winners receiving a medal from the president with a distinctive ribbon in the colours of the French flag.

Mr Montalto said preparation for the illustrious competition took a year of planning and three months of making.

The result was a set of three strikingly contemporary seats, but his work has often also incorporated renovation pieces for historic buildings, especially reproduction balusters from the Belle Epoque period of the late 19th century.

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French actor inspired ceramics career

His interest in ceramics dates back to 1979, when he happened to watch a report on L’Invité du Jeudi – a show broadcast every Thursday from 1978 to 1982 on France 2.

It focused on French actor Jean Marais at his home in Vallauris (Alpes-Maritimes).

Marais, who enjoyed a glittering film and theatre career over four decades, was also a talented painter and sculptor.

It was this aspect of his life that the TV show focused on, including lessons with a renowned local potter.

“Seeing the clay spin, it was magical. You could see him spinning it and spinning it, slowly shaping it into a form,” says Mr Montalto, clearly still bewitched by the memory.

Marais’ work had considerable merit. In 2014, some of the actor’s ceramics were sold at auction in Antibes, helping to net his estate some €230,000.

Dropped everything to learn ceramics

Before watching the TV show, Mr Montalto had been indecisive about his career.

Holding a secretarial qualification, he had flitted between a range of jobs, including for a bank and an insurance firm.

However, seeing Marais on the potter’s wheel compelled him to drop everything and move to Aubagne, the heart of ceramic work in Bouches-du-Rhône.

He launched his own business in Alsace at 27, not knowing whether it would work or not.

“And it has been going for 44 years now,” he says modestly.

After two years in Alsace, Mr Montalto moved to a small shop in Menton, near the port. He was based there for 18 years, mainly selling to tourists.

He took on his current premises in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin in 1998. Located in the centre of the village at the foot of its medieval castle and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, it serves as both a gallery for clients and his workshop.

Customers can browse traditional pottery pieces, including vases and plates, as well as more unusual works, such as the Café de Paris commission.

Launched competition to recognise young potters

It is hard not to be equally impressed by the glass shelf holding his many awards.

They include the MOF medal, still in its box.

Next to it, a letter of congratulations is signed by the then-president Nicolas Sarkozy.

The walls, meanwhile, are pinned with photos of Mr Montalto with high-profile celebrities and politicians.

Here, a beaming François Hollande; there, Mr Sarkozy hanging the MOF medal around his neck.

These days, Mr Montalto is keen to inspire a new generation of craftsmen and women.

To that end, he has created a competition to seek out talented young potters from the region. The event has taken place in Vallauris in late July for the last two years.

Thanks to such efforts, and Mr Montalto’s continued renown, the future of French pottery might just be as bright as his tiles.

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