Lot 1

The ceramic is in good condition with no visible signs of repair or damage, the base affixed to perspex box, the perspex with scratches.


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The Collection of Dr Ronald and Alison Fine, Sydney

Ramié, G, Ceramics of Picasso, Spain, 1985, no. 408 (another version illustrated, p. 215)

In the summer of 1946 Pablo Picasso visited a small town in the south of France called Vallauris. It was here, at a craft exhibition, where he met husband and wife Georges and Suzanne Ramié who owned the Madoura pottery studio. Picasso formed a long-lasting friendship and creative partnership with the Ramiés and they became fundamental to the ceramic production which would engage him for the rest of his career.

Vallauris had been an epicentre of pottery since Roman times, however, by the mid-20th century there were some 400-500 unemployed pottery workers. In 1948 Picasso exhibited original ceramic works he had made at the Madoura pottery studio at the Maison de la Pensée Française in Paris. The exhibition generated renewed interest in the pottery industry and employment for these artisans skyrocketed. Georges Tabaraud, editor of Le Patriote newspaper and friend of Picasso's, commented "after he showed his exhibition in the French capital, to the crowds that came to see it, you could have dug up the dead potters and found them work."

Picasso's plentiful production of ceramics elevated this traditional craft into a fine art standing. Today his ceramics are highly sought after objects with international appeal and make a considerable contribution to any art collection.

© Succession Picasso/Copyright Agency, 2024