Published on the occasion of the exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, this is the first publication in English dealing exclusively with Picasso's unique works in ceramic. Focusing on the objects that Picasso produced in the south of France between 1947 and 1962, the catalogue illustrates 214 works, many of which have never been published before, and features some of the artist's preparatory drawings. Picasso kept the vast majority of his ceramics in his studio until he died, and the copied editions that were made give little hint of the quality and inventiveness of which he was capable. The unique pieces which are shown here reveal how the artist used ceramic to merge elements of sculpture, painting and ancient traditions of the medium in unexpected ways. The catalogue includes appreciations by Claude Ruiz Picasso and Bernard Ruiz Picasso, and a detailed history and analysis of Picasso's ceramic work by Marilyn McCully.

Foreword by: Marilyn McCully