Pablo Picasso’s Deeply Personal Porcelain

Here's what you need to know about Pablo Picasso's exquisite ceramics from the Parisian porcelain-maker Marc de Ladoucette.

1. A perpetually restless creative force, Picasso used brushes, chisels, acids, and knives to inscribe his mark upon the world—and, especially toward the latter half of his career, the kiln. Beginning in 1946, the artist made more than 3,000 plates, vases, and other ceramics, some of which are now incorporated into his acclaimed sculpture show at MoMA. 

2. In the years since the artist’s death in 1973, his son Claude Ruiz Picasso has carried on his father’s legacy in the medium—collaborating, in the past decade, with the porcelain-maker Marc de Ladoucette to transform Picasso’s art into elegant dishware. 

3. Crafted in Limoges, these ceramics present some of Picasso’s most iconic, pared-down images—including his Dove of Peace, which he originally created for the 1949 World Congress of Advocates for Peace (a pro-Stalinist organization, it so happens). 

4. That dove held complex significance for Picasso: his father, the painter José Ruiz y Blasco, had specialized in depicting doves and pigeons; the dove that was the original model for his Dove of Peace had been given to him by his great rival Matisse; and he named his daughter with Françoise Gilot (Claude Picasso’s sister) Paloma, which means “dove.”

RELATED LINKS:
Art 101: The Delectable History of Artist-Designed Tableware