Pablo Picasso

Jacqueline Picasso, France
Howard Russeck Gallery, Palm Beach
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2007

Paris, Galerie Etienne Sassi, Picasso: Hommage à Jacqueline, 1990
Vallauris, Musée Magnelli-Musée de la Céramique, Picasso: Céramiste à Vallauris: pièces uniques, 2004, no. 31, illustrated in the catalogue
Seto, Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum, Picasso: Cerámica et traditión, 2005, no. 105, illustrated in the catalogue

Nine tiles are joined around their perimeter with a ceramic sealant and the work is mounted in a picture frame. There are a few hairline cracks in the glaze in a few places which are inherent and stable. Appart from a few small surface stains the work is in very good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

As Brassaï said of Picasso, “I am struck by his infallible gift to give life to any material that he touches. From the first stroke, he guesses, invents, and reinvents the most fitting technique, as if the sources, secrets, manual skills, age-old experiences of all the graphic and plastic trades were instantaneously at his disposal” (Brassaï, Conversations with Picasso, Chicago, 2003, p. 176).

While best known for his paintings, Picasso created thousands of ceramic pieces between 1947 and 1971. His introduction to the medium can be traced back to a single day, July 21, 1946, when he visited friend and engraver Louis Fort at the latter's home in Golfe-Juan, and together they decided to visit the annual potter's exhibition in Vallauris, a town known for its production of pottery. Picasso there met Suzanne and Georges Ramié of the Madoura workshop, and what was initially just a quick day trip soon became a transformative experience, one that incited a life-long passion for and dedication to ceramics in the artist, who in turn made a legendary contribution to the history of the field. Picasso returned to Vallauris one year later and under the guidance of Suzanne Ramié, who arranged a space for him in the Madoura workshop, he began to tackle the challenging medium with a genius sensitivity and creative imagination that parallel those seen in his most celebrated paintings, drawings, and sculptures.

Although most of his ceramics were produced there in Vallauris, the present work was conceived in 1956 when Picasso moved to Cannes, where he made his home in a villa called La Californie and shot his famous film Le Mystère Picasso. According to art historians, Picasso had clay delivered to his home and would later return it, molded and decorated, to a kiln for firing. While most of Picasso’s ceramics were editioned, the present work Famille Têtes Laurées is unique. The hand-painted composition is pieced together with nine square tiles, depicting four family members in a fluid and simplified yet playful style that is instantly recognizable as that of Picasso. An interesting aspect of note is the combination of two opposing media at play: while ceramic is inherently a three-dimensional medium, the image itself is painted on the surface in two dimensions, making this piece as much a graphic work as it is a sculpture. Picasso thus combines volume and surface and transforms the object beyond image into concept. He references this effect in his own words: “It would have sufficed to cut these paintings up… and then assemble them according to the indications given by the color, to find oneself before a ‘sculpture’” (quoted in Roland Penrose, The Life and Work of Picasso, Los Angeles, 1981, p. 265).