The May Online Auction of Picasso’s Ceramics Offers a Famous Name at an Affordable Price

Picasso began experimenting with ceramics in 1947 at the Madoura Atelier in the south of France, where he settled permanently after the war. His playful beginnings with clay led to a constant and extremely prolific line of work—during the next quarter century he produced 633 various editions of ceramic artworks. Experts assume that he personally molded over 3,500 unique pieces, while a further 120,000 were made in limited series according to the master’s designs. 

Picasso liked the idea of working with a utilitarian medium, which was accessible to a much wider audience than his paintings. In the 1950s and 1960s, the prices of the individual pieces in the series, commercially multiplied in the Madoura studio, hovered around 100 dollars. Solo exhibits in prestigious museums and growing market interest, however, began driving prices up. 

Christie’s is currently offering several exceptional pieces from limited editions numbering 25 to 100 lots, with pre-auction estimates in the tens of thousands of pounds. The top lot of the  auction, with an estimated price of 150,000–250,000 pounds, is the Grand vase aux femmes voilées (A.R. 116). In the catalog, it’s listed as one of the tallest vases Picasso ever created. The piece consists of four graceful female figures brought to life through rich textures and warm terracotta tones. 

If you’re planning a trip to London, the pre-auction exhibit of ceramic works from Madoura continues until May 22nd on King Street. The auction is unlikely to achieve a record like the one set by Picasso’s original Grand vase aux femmes voilées, which Christie’s sold two years ago for 1.14 million euros, but it does offer the opportunity to procure artworks by this master of Cubism for much lower prices. Many smaller lots are priced around 1,000 euro. You can also bid online.