El Blog

In 1955 the first congress organized by the International Academy of Ceramics took place in Cannes, on the occasion of which an exhibition was held. Pablo Picasso participated with several of his works. This year the 47^th congress will be taking place in Barcelona, dedicated to ceramics in architecture and the public space. For this reason we are presenting the 41 ceramics donated by Jacqueline Picasso in 1982, a selection of photographs from our collection that documents Picasso working in pottery, and the original engravings the artist did for the exhibition that was held in Vallauris.

The interest of Picasso in ceramics started when he moved his residence to the south of France after the Second World War. In 1946 Picasso visited the pottery workshop of Madoura, in Vallauris, and its owners, Suzanne and Georges Ramié, invited him to collaborate with them and their craftspeople. From this moment on, he would work on ceramics with greater or lesser intensity until the mid-nineteen seventies.

David Douglas Duncan. Picasso at La Californie painting Still life with two fish. Canes, April 1957. Modern inkjet digital print. 60 x 50 cm [73 x 55,5 cm]. Fons David Douglas Duncan. Museu Picasso, Barcelona

The dedication of Picasso towards ceramics was intense between 1947 and 1963. His creative capacity, combined with his skills as a craftsman, led him to carry out a series of experimentations that would capsize all the processes and techniques of this thousand-year-old art.

The collection of ceramics of the museum is made up of long plates, oval plates, round plates, cooking pots, bowls, vases, jugs and glasses.

Pablo Picasso. Owl. Cannes, 17 February 1961. Thrown white earthenware, decorated with red and black slips, incised. 47 x 21.8 cm. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Gift of Jacqueline Picasso, 1982. MPB 112.430. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Photograph, Gasull Fotografia

The luminosity and Mediterranean nature that defines the style of Picasso from this period is reflected in the ceramics, and the themes from his paintings and drawings are repeated: the bullfights, the faun’s head, fish, idyllic landscapes, etc.

Pablo Picasso. Face of a faun. Vallauris, 16 October 1947. Press-moulded white earthenware, decorated with slips and oxides, dipped transparent glaze. 31.8 x 38 x 3.8 cm. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Gift of Jacqueline Picasso, 1982. MPB 112.462. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Photograph, Gasull Fotografia

This activity was captured by friends and photographers ― Marcos Chamudes, David Douglas Duncan, Roberto Otero and André Villers — who portrayed Picasso working on the ceramics through a complicit look and personal approach to the life and work of the artist.

The ceramics, posters and photographs can be seen in the galleries A, B, 16 and the Neoclassical gallery.

Pablo Picasso. Profiles of women and Owl. Vallauris, 9 August 1950. Manufactured pink grogged earthenware with interior lead glaze (alquifoux), decorated with black slip. 18.5 x 27.7 cm. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Gift of Jacqueline Picasso, 1982. MPB 112.433. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Photograph, Gasull Fotografia

Pablo Picasso. First poster Vallauris. Vallauris, 5 June 1948. Lithograph in two colours (black and brown). Lithotint and lithographic crayon on transfer paper transferred to stone, printed on Arches vellum watermarked paper (Sabartés proof). 50 x 65.5 cm (paper). Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Gift of Jaume Sabartés, 1962. MPB 70.140. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Photograph, Gasull Fotografia

Pablo Picasso. Face of a black faun. Vallauris, 18 October 1947. Press-moulded white earthenware, decorated with slips, punched, incised, dipped transparent glaze. 32.2 x 38 x 3.7 cm. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Gift of Jacqueline Picasso, 1982. MPB 112.466. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Photograph, Gasull Fotografia

Pablo Picasso. EXPOSITION VALLAURIS – 57 . Vallauris, 1957. Etched with a gouge on linoleum plate, printed on thick offset paper. 99.8 x 65.8 cm (paper); 63.3 x 53.3 cm (plate). Edition Association des poitiers de Vallauris. Printer Hidalgo Arnéra. Unnumbered artist’s proof. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Gift of Jaume Sabartés. MPB 70.859. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Photograph, Gasull Fotografia

As well as these incorporations in the galleries and, as we habitually do in September, during this month we will be carrying out changes to the galleries of the permanent collection, due to loans to diverse exhibitions and the rotations of works on paper.

We highlight:

 -First communion (MPB 110.001) returns to Gallery 2, along with works done in Barcelona in 1896 and just afterwards in Malaga.

Pablo Picasso.  First communion.  Barcelona, 1896. Oil on canvas. 166 x 118 cm. Gift of Pablo Picasso, 1968. MPB 110.001 . Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Photograph, Gasull Fotografia

-We have put in Gallery 3 Copy of “Felip IV” by Velázquez (MPB 110.017), an important work to understand the activity of Picasso in Madrid during the course 1897-98.

–The Piano (MPB 70.472) returns to Gallery 14, where it will be exhibited along with Las Meninas, of which it forms part

Pablo Picasso. The piano. Cannes, 17 Octobrer 1957. Oil on canvas. 129.5 x 96.5 cm. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Gift of Pablo Picasso, 1968. MPB 70.472. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Photograph, Gasull Fotografia

-We will exhibit The Offering (MPB 112.761) in the left wing of Gallery 8.

Pablo Picasso. The offering. París, 1908. Gouache on cardboard with white primer. 30,6 x 30,6 cm. Gift of Lord Amulree, 1985, 1985. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. MPB 112.761. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Fotografia, Gasull Fotografia

-Harlequin (MPB 10.941) and Woman with Mantilla [Fatma] (MPB 110.004) return to the museum and will be exhibited in their usual place, in Gallery 9.

Pablo Picasso. Woman with mantilla [Fatma]. Barcelona, June-November  1917. Oil and charcoal on canvas. 116 x 89 cm. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Gift of Pablo Picasso, 1970. MPB 110.004. Museu Picasso, Barcelona. Photograph, Gasull Fotografia

Malén Gual

Conservator of the collection