Robert Vasseur’s La Maison á Vaisselle Cassée
Louviers, France
Robert Vasseur (1908-2002) worked most of his life working in a textile factory and a milk truck. In 1952, while doing kitchen repairs, he decided to use the shards of a broken plate to cover a cement sink. His wife was delighted. Over the next 50 years, they continued the project until the entire house was mosaicked inside and out. Vasseur used plates, seashells, china, and glass, most of which was donated by neighbors or set aside by garbage collectors.
Much like Isaiah, Vasseur saw every surface as an opportunity for more mosaics. Beyond the house and surrounding walkways, Vasseur mosaicked furniture, a wishing well, a fountain, and even the dog house.
La maison á vaisselle cassée (The Broken Crockery House) remains in the family, with Vasseur’s son Claude continuing the work and providing occasional tours.
Vasseur’s name appears in the outdoor sculpture garden on the wall to the right of the Huppa at Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens.
Resources:
Biography and photos
Video Voyage en Normandie by Raymond Matabosch (6 minutes; 2009)
Book Robert Vasseur: La maison aux papillons by Claude and Clovis Prévost (1996)
Top & Button Photo Credit: Willem Volkersz via Spaces Archives