Picasso: A Dialogue with Ceramics: Ceramics from the Marina Picasso Collection

The art of ceramics, the use of fired clay to create everyday utensils and art objects, goes back to the dawn of time. Since then, the many civilizations that have inhabited the shores of the Mediterranean have used the potter's wheel to produce a great variety of beautiful pieces. The work of Pablo Picasso emerged within the framework of this tradition. Those who love his genius-most seen in his paintings, sculptures, and prints-will be beguiled by this publication which comprehensively documents an exhibition of pieces whose everyday shapes were transformed by the artist's magic touch.

The lushly-designed book is a definitive guide to Picasso's ceramic work done at the Madoura Workshop in Vallauris-an area of his artistry is only now being fully explored. Not just for experts, it is designed for broader understanding and enjoyment of ceramics created by one of the world's most celebrated artists. It features a critical essay by the distinguished Spanish curator and art historian Kosme de Baraano, a section offering seven artists' perspectives on Picasso's work as a ceramist, a catalogue of sixty-three pieces fully-illustrated in color-many with multiple views, and an extensive glossary of terms that provides an explanation of ceramic techniques. Illustrations cover almost the whole range of forms and styles produced by the artist and include enlarged details of work; related sketches and drawings; photographs of the artist and his studio; and examples of Greek, Egyptian, and Mediterranean antiquities that inspired the artist's oeuvre.