Sujet Poisson (Fish Subject)
Sujet Poisson (Fish Subject)
Pablo Picasso
Spanish, 1881 - 1973
1952
Earthenware
8 1/4 x 4 3/4 in. (21.0 x 12.1 cm)
Pablo Picasso Madoura Ceramic Pitcher 'Sujet poisson' Ramié 139
1952; Edition 500
In 1947, following a chance visit to the Madoura pottery workshop in Vallauris, France, Pablo Picasso embarked on one of the most prolific and inventive chapters of his career. Over the next two decades he produced more than 3,500 ceramic works — plates, pitchers, vases, tiles, and figurative sculptures — approaching clay with the same restless freedom he brought to canvas and paper.
"Sujet poisson" (Fish Subject), executed in 1952, is among the most recognized and beloved of his Madoura editions. The pitcher is conceived entirely as a fish: the body forms the vessel, the tail becomes the spout, and a boldly rendered eye anchors the composition with characteristic Picasso wit. Painted in black engobe on red earthenware clay, the work balances formal invention with playful economy — maximum expression from minimum means.
Incised "Edition Picasso" and "Madoura" on the underside, and bearing both the Edition Picasso and Madoura Plein Feu pottery stamps, this example is from the authorized edition of 500. Documented in Alain Ramié's definitive catalogue raisonné of Picasso's ceramic work (Ramié 139).
Picasso ceramics offer one of the most accessible entry points into ownership of an original work by the defining artist of the twentieth century.
1952; Edition 500
In 1947, following a chance visit to the Madoura pottery workshop in Vallauris, France, Pablo Picasso embarked on one of the most prolific and inventive chapters of his career. Over the next two decades he produced more than 3,500 ceramic works — plates, pitchers, vases, tiles, and figurative sculptures — approaching clay with the same restless freedom he brought to canvas and paper.
"Sujet poisson" (Fish Subject), executed in 1952, is among the most recognized and beloved of his Madoura editions. The pitcher is conceived entirely as a fish: the body forms the vessel, the tail becomes the spout, and a boldly rendered eye anchors the composition with characteristic Picasso wit. Painted in black engobe on red earthenware clay, the work balances formal invention with playful economy — maximum expression from minimum means.
Incised "Edition Picasso" and "Madoura" on the underside, and bearing both the Edition Picasso and Madoura Plein Feu pottery stamps, this example is from the authorized edition of 500. Documented in Alain Ramié's definitive catalogue raisonné of Picasso's ceramic work (Ramié 139).
Picasso ceramics offer one of the most accessible entry points into ownership of an original work by the defining artist of the twentieth century.
Categories
