Nicolas Pinon

Lacquerer

©Philippe Plantrose

©Carl Labrosse

A Japanese craft in French hands

Nicolas uses a natural lacquer extracted from the sap of a tree
Only 100-200ml of this sap can be harvested per tree, every ten months
He won the Prix Liliane Bettencourt pour l'intelligence de la main in 2020

After obtaining a diploma in cabinetmaking from Ecole Boulle in Paris in 2001, Nicolas Pinon continued to work on traditional and contemporary finishing techniques. During his studies he attended a conference on Japanese lacquering and knew immediately that this was what he wanted to do. He took a few courses in Paris and in Barcelona, Spain. However, he knew that if he wanted to immerse himself fully in this technique he would need to go to Japan. So in 2007 he packed his bags and travelled to Japan where he would meet his future master, Nagatoshi Onishi, with whom he later trained for three months.

Interview

©Charlotte Fouillet

©Carl Labrosse

Why do you use urushi lacquer?: It comes from a tree that secretes a sap to defend itself, so it’s a poison, in fact. When it dries the liquid becomes very hard and has a brilliant colour. It’s completely waterproof, so it’s used to protect dishes and furniture in Japan’s humid climate. It’s been used for thousands of years in Asia.
What technique do you specialise in?: Kanshitsu, which is a technique that my master is specialised in and that’s why I wanted to work with him. It involves creating the object with the lacquer itself. You use hemp fabric to make a mould, and then use the mould to work the lacquer and develop the object.
What was it like to learn from a Japanese master?: Onishi is a true artist and very open to training others. He doesn’t want lacquer to remain just a Japanese craft, he wants it to be exported elsewhere. So it was a very important step for me, to learn and later master these techniques, and then come back to France to use my skills.
Where do you draw inspiration from?: At Ecole Boulle I experienced a very French approach to learning French crafts. So I arrived in Japan with a French cultural outlook, but that didn’t restrict me too much. I started to experiment and absorb the outlook of the artisans around me. I like to discover new things, and I love to collaborate.

Nicolas Pinon is a master artisan: he began his career in 2004 and he started teaching in 2010