Picasso is, without question, the most thoroughly documented artist of our time. Surprisingly, however, his significant production as a sculptor and painter in clay has not been surveyed in a major exhibition or publication. This considerable oeuvre consists of several thousand unique pieces, many of which have been kept by the artist’s family.
Picasso first visited the Madoura ceramic workshop in Vallauris in southern France in 1946, and he devoted considerable energies to sculpting and painting clay during the subsequent eighteen years. He decorated traditional objects -- plates, bowls, and vases -- in addition to inventing completely new forms, which when fired often tested the limits of the potter’s art. These innovative sculptures form the core of this exhibition, and we are pleased to present this selection of some 175 unique objects.
