Pablo Picasso, Face and Owl (A.R. 407), 1958, partially glazed earthenware turned oval vase, height 10 1/8in. Est. US$ 20,000 - 30,000 (€19,000 - 28,000). © 2015 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

NEW YORK, NY.- An important collection of Madoura ceramics by Pablo Picasso are among highlights in the Post-War & Contemporary Prints & Multiples sale at Bonhams on May 11. 

Profoundly inspired by the bright palette of the Mediterranean landscape, Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) began making ceramics in the South of France in the late 1940s. It was a creative process he considered a respite from his busy painting schedule. It was in Vallauris that Picasso met Suzanne and Georges Ramié, owners of the now famous Madoura ceramics studio. Becoming quick friends and eventually collaborators, Picasso returned every year to work at Madoura. It was a relationship that lasted 25 years, and changed Picasso’s life. It was at Madoura, in 1953, that Picasso met Jacqueline Roque, who would later become the artist’s second wife, and muse. 

As evidenced by the impressive offering in this sale, many of Picasso’s ceramics took the form of utilitarian objects that bear playful designs and colors. The auction will present 23 such ceramics by the artist, many of which come from an important single-owner collection in the United States. 

Leading the collection is:  

Face and Owl (A.R. 407), 1958, a partially glazed earthenware turned oval vase, painted in red, black and white, and estimated at $20,000 - 30,000. (Photo couverture)

This is a very rare work that does not appear in the market often. 

The colorfully-painted partially glazed white earthenware round plaque is numbered 3 in an edition of 200 multiples that almost never appear on the market. 

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Jacqueline's Profile (A.R. 308), 1956. Red earthenware square plate, numbered 21/100, inscribed '17100 Bis', with the 'Empreinte Originale de Picasso' and 'Madoura Plein Feu' stamps. diameter 16 3/8in. Est. US$ 10,000 - 15,000 (€9,300 - 14,000). © 2015 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. 

This plate is noted for what it could possibly represent: the first encounter between the artist and Jacqueline Roque. 

The number of high-quality Picasso ceramics in this sale reflects the strength of a burgeoning market. Shawna Brickley, Senior Specialist in the Prints department at Bonhams comments, “The Picasso ceramics market has been on an upward trajectory for the last ten years. The sales have been bolder each time around, making it an excellent investment opportunity for collectors and I expect that we’ll see a continued strengthening of the market.” 

Other star lots in the sale include Maurits Cornelis Escher’s Sun and Moon, a 1948 woodcut work on thin laid Japan paper that is estimated at $30,000 – 50,000; Andy Warhol’s, Witch, a unique screenprint with diamond dust on board, created in 1981 and estimated at $25,000 – 35,000; and a replica of one plate featured on her famous installation, The Dinner Party, Theodora Test Plate #5, from the Dinner Party, 1975-1978, by Judy Chicago (est. $20,000 – 30,000).