Rating and value of François Raty's paintings and ceramics

If you own an object by or after François Raty, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their appraisal services.

Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its value on the current market.

Then, if you wish to sell your work, we will direct you to the best possible arrangement to obtain the optimum price.

Rating and value of works by François Raty  

François Raty is a French artist who is fairly well known to collectors of ceramics and sculpture. If you own one of his works, it may be worth more than you think. On the art market, prices for François Raty's works can be very high at the auctioneers' gavel.

His ceramic works are particularly prized by French and American buyers, and the price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €40 to €50,000, a fairly substantial range,but one that says a lot about the value that can be attributed to Raty's works.

In 2022, a copper sculpture depicting a centurion sold for €50,000 while it was estimated at between €20,000 and €30,000, more than twice the low estimate.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious

Style and technique by artist François Raty  

François Raty doesn't fit into any predefined trend; he produces a highly singular body of work and runs his own studio and gallery. He produces sculptures in a variety of materials, including copper, ceramics and bronze.

His world is symbolic and dreamlike, his style blending poetic imagination, allegorical figures, mythological references and personal visions, in a world where reality often tilts into the fantastic.

Fine lines are mastered, the artist's technique based on precise drawing, all finesse and often enhanced with delicate hatching or textures created by the bite of acid.

He plays with light and shadow, mastering contrasts perfectly, and giving depth and relief to his compositions, with an almost dramatic light in places.

His work testifies to a great narrative density, with each etching meant to tell a story, often complex and dense.

The life of François Raty   

François Raty is a ceramist born in 1928, little known to neophytes but considered a great personality of the art of fire in the 20th century. Before sadly passing away in 1982, François Raty left us a rich legacy. Since then, he has exhibited his work in numerous galleries and museums in France and abroad.

First trained as an academic in painting and drawing, the artist began training as a potter in the 1950s. He invented his own decorative repertoire: inspired by Pablo Picasso and the Surrealist painters, François Raty created zoomorphic ceramics resembling animal sculptures.

Birds, monkeys, bulls and gorillas make up the artist's iconographic repertoire, which are similar to the mythological totems of Nordic or Oceanic peoples.

François Raty has exhibited his work extensively throughout his career, including the annual Vallauris potters' exhibition, the Cannes International Ceramic Art Exhibition and in Stuttgart ; with Madoura and Picasso.

Raty worked with several galleries and eventually opened her own in Beaumont-sur-Auge.

Focus on L'Homme aux poissons, François Raty

This work by François Raty depicts a stylized human figure, carrying or surrounded by fish, in an almost totemic composition, both strange and poetic.

François Raty's work displays a discreet sense of humor, insofar as the scene exudes a lightness tinged with irony, with exaggeratedly shaped fish, sometimes smiling and expressive.

The shapes are simplified, the figure reduced to simple, powerful, rounded volumes. The fish, which are also stylized, are integrated into the composition with a certain fluidity.

Through this work, he conducts a work on material using chamotte clay and stoneware, the piece retaining a raw texture, which sometimes contrasts with glazed areas with pearly metallic reflections.

The palette he uses is sober and natural, the use of oxides and glazes in brown, black, green or bluish tones recalls natural elements and underlines the organic anchoring of the work.
This ceramic work creates a dialogue between the figure of man and that of the animal, insofar as the work proposes a peaceful cohabitation between man and nature, a recurring theme for Raty, which is here treated in a symbolic and playful way.

The work therefore proposes a balance between figuration and abstraction. Although the subjects are recognizable, Raty pushes the simplification of forms to the limit of abstraction, creating both a meditative and decorative work.

François Raty's imprint on his period

François Raty was an important player in the post-war ceramic revival : he was part of the momentum of artistic ceramics in the 1950s -70s, alongside artists such as Roger Capron, Jean Derval or Georges Jouve.

His style is immediately recognizable  his animal sculptures, which are full of humor and stylization, make a lasting impression with their originality, between gentle abstraction and free figuration.

His production builds a bridge between craft and sculpture, since Raty is one of those ceramists who have given ceramics a sculptural place, going beyond simple utilitarian production to propose an art in its own right.

He is very present in the artistic circuits, his works being exhibited in numerous salons and galleries, and some integrating the collections of museums such as that of Sèvres, which testifies to his institutional recognition.

He uses a personal language at every stage, his universe is populated by stylized animals, fish-men or imaginary creatures reflecting a singular approach close to a soft surrealism and a narrative art apart.

The influence he exerts is lasting on a regional scale. Trained and active in Vallauris, he has helped make the town a major center of French ceramics, where artists, craftsmen and designers come together.

His work is both accessible and sensitive. The humor and poetry that emerge from his pieces leave a lasting emotional impression, both on enthusiasts and collectors alike.

François Raty on the auction block

Raty's works are often abstract, featuring intricate geometric patterns, or originally shaped animals.

Raty used unusual construction methods to create gravity-defying forms that can seem almost impossible to achieve. His ceramic works sell for between 500 and 50,000 euros, if their authenticity is validated by our expert. 

There is no longer a monopoly factory or gallery marketing Raty's work today. As a result, the auction market is a favored route to acquire one of his works.

They are highly prized at auction, and whether it's a copper sculpture, an animal model, a ceramic bowl or another work, they are all in demand.

Recognizing François Raty's signature  

Not all objects produced by François Raty are signed. Moreover, there are many copies, which is why it's important to appraise your work.

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a work by or after François Raty, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using our form on our website.

A member of our team, made up of experts and certified auctioneers, will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your work, not forgetting to pass on ad hoc information about it.

If you're considering selling your work, our specialists will also be on hand to offer you alternatives for selling it at the best possible price, taking into account market inclinations.