Frank Carpay

Who was Frank Carpay?

Frank Carpay was a New Zealand designer.

He was born in the Netherlands and was trained at the Hertogenbosch Technical School in the Netherlands.

After the Second World War he was made design director at Ambacht Volendam.

After leaving the company in 1950 he travelled to the south of France where he met Pablo Picasso and worked at the Madoura Pottery in Valauris, France in 1950. At Picasso's insistence, Carpay met with two other pottery decorators, Roger Capron and Roger Picault, also working in Vallauris.

Carpay established his own small commercial pottery in Tegelen, Het Edele Ambacht, a small manufactory of ceramics, glass, furniture, and metalwork. Unfortunately the business was not a success and closed and he returned to work as a graphic designer.

While unemployed Carpay had written to John Allum, the Mayor of Auckland, New Zealand, for the name of a pottery where he could find work. This letter was passed to Tom Clark of Crown Lynn who was developing a "Specials Department" and actively recruiting. Carpay arrived in 1953 and joined other artisans including Mirek Smisek and Ernest Shufflebotham.