Picasso Vallauris Ceramics

The pottery and gallery madoura edits and exhibits picasso s edited ceramic work.

Picasso vallauris ceramics.

He took a particular interest in the madoura stand and asked to be introduced to the owners suzanne and georges ramié. Many inhabitants still evoke his presence and that of his contemporaries françoise gilot and her children. All of picasso s ceramics were produced at the madoura pottery run by the ramie family in vallauris in the south of france. The ramies owned the madoura workshop a ceramics studio in vallauris where picasso who was eager to delve into a new medium made his first venture into ceramics.

In a room adjacent to the museum of ceramics the photographs by andré villers represent picasso either as a public personage attending public events and feasts or working alone in his studio as a man fully integrated with the community of vallauris which made him an honorary citizen in 1950. In 1946 picasso in golfe juan with his friend louis fort decided to visit the pottery exhibition in vallauris. In 1946 while visiting the annual pottery exhibition in vallauris pablo picasso had the good fortune to meet suzanne and georges ramie. A freeman of the town picasso greatly contributed to the renaissance of the vallauris pottery industry in the 1950s this legendary golden age when everyone was a potter including famous ceramicists roger capron and charles voltz.

The arrival of picasso in the 1950s raised vallauris to the rank of ceramic capital of france as he brought in many artists wanting to learn about the fired arts. Pablo picasso was undoubtedly an extraordinary 20th century painter but i also feel that in the field of abstract impressionism his ceramics were also remarkable. After he left vallauris for cannes and then for mougins he continued his ceramic work and his collaboration with madoura until his death in 1973. The 25 years which picasso spent on the côte d azur starting with his move to vallauris in 1948 until his death in mougins on 8 april 1973 were those of a great star.

In july 1946 picasso visited vallauris france for the first time in the company of françoise gilot mother of claude. Whilst on holiday in golfe juan with françoise gilot in 1946 picasso visited the annual pottery exhibition. Today only a handful of craftspeople still uphold this tradition.