Ceramics

Between 1946 and the end of the sixties, Picasso moved to the South of France, close to his Mediterranean roots, where he studied in depth the properties of ceramics, producing around 2000 pieces.

His pottery pursuits could be seen as an extension of his activities as a sculptor, a painter and an engraver. The artist both surprises and amuses us, transforming daily implements into a universe of magical beings. Plates illustrated with goat heads, faces and fauns; jugs adorned with perceptive anthropomorphic interpretations; pots painted with capricious shapes and ornaments; hand-modelled pigeons; and feminine forms in various attitudes, a tribute to classical Tanagra figurines. Multiform objects that recreate, in daring decorative styles, the themes that are present throughout Picasso’s work. Some are painted, others are glazed, either using the traditional techniques that Picasso conscientiously studied (including Arabic and Spanish reminiscences), or applying personal formulas generated by his own intuition.

Ceramics brought together 43 Picasso’s works, created detween 1947 and 1965. The ceramic became a channel of great artistic discovery for Picasso. He set out to dominate an ancient artistic tradition and not only ended up infusing new life into it but also managed to make it his own.