Jean Marais surrealist hand, Vallauris c. 1960. SOLD.

Vallauris, a coastal town in the South of France, is a name that has become synonymous with ceramics - and with Pablo Picasso in particular.

A rich supply of clay from nearby deposits established Vallauris as a center for pottery as early as Roman times. This continued until the town was devastated by a deadly epidemic in the 14th century. It wasn’t until the 16th century that it was eventually resettled by Italian potters who revived the industry. The introduction of the railway helped further develop the production of ceramics and larger factories begin to export their wares. Culinary ceramics - usually terra-cotta enameled with a clear glaze - became the town’s speciality.

The advent of industrialization and the resulting competition from metal kitchen products presented a threat to the ceramics industry in Vallauris, as it did to other French ceramics centers. However, while culinary pottery in Vallauris began to decline, active workshops continued in-between the two world wars and the shift away from utilitarian function initiated a different evolution: ceramics as an art form.

Picasso’s ruffled pigeon sculpture c. 1953

The Massier family, a dynasty of potters dating back to before the French Revolution, played a key role in the innovation which began to take place in Vallauris in the early 20th century. However, it was Suzanne Ramié and her husband, Georges, who established the Madoura studio in the town in 1938, who really initiated the post-war revitalization of Vallauris. Soon after, the town became a thriving arts commune abundant with artists’ studios, ceramic studios in particular. André Baud, Robert Picault, Roger Capron, Juliette Derel and Clément Massier were amongst those who established studios there. The first exhibition of the ceramics of Vallauris in 1946 - organized by Madoura, André Baud and Workshop Callis (Capron and Picault) - marked the starting point of a new era for the town.

It was a time for modernity and experimentation. For finding freedom in breaking from traditional practices and methods and shifting focus to design and imagination - a radical approach to ceramics at the time. It was at the 1946 exhibition that Suzanne and Georges met with Picasso, who was on vacation with his then-lover, Françoise Gilot. Picasso was eager to delve into the medium and became so enthralled with ceramics that he decided to move to Vallauris in 1948. He would stay there until 1955, creating over 4,000 works, collaborating closely with his friend, Robert Picault, and the skilled ceramicists at Madoura.

Picasso’s arrival would shape the history of Vallauris, immediately heightening the already growing artistic interest in the town and bringing another influx of artists, including Jean Marais, Marc Chagall and many others who sought to escape post-war Paris. In addition to ceramics, Picasso also produced many linocut works, sculptures and paintings while in Vallauris, including ‘War and Peace’, which was installed in the chapel of the Château de Vallauris in 1959.

When Picasso first came to Madoura the studio was very much a family business - Suzanne made the prototypes, George was in charge of the firing. They used an old, Roman style wood burning kiln with an uneven firing temperature that meant each piece fired was unique. While the Ramié’s liked the authenticity this brought to their work, the element of chance in the firing process was not appreciated by Picasso and eventually an electric kiln was installed. Picasso loved the malleability of clay and experimented widely with forms, textures, enamels and glazes. He would melt clay like bronze, create mythical creatures directly from glazes, and was particularly fascinated by the use of metal oxides as their nature meant that he never knew how the end product would look. He decorated plates, dishes and vases with bullfights, women, owls, goats, fauns and fish, and also used unglazed white paste, decorated with pieces in relief. Some of these white paste works are today amongst his most desirable ceramic pieces.

Profile of Jacqueline. A white earthenware plate by Picasso c. 1956

Just as Picasso collaborated with master printers to create editions of his printed works, he collaborated with the Ramiés to create set editions of his ceramic works. Work on these editions began in the early 1950s, with over 600 of his original pieces. He wanted his editions to be used as objects, explaining to writer and friend, André Malraux: “I’ve made plates you can eat from”.

Though Picasso left Vallauris in 1955, the town remained an important part of his life and he would often return to see old friends, exhibitions, and bullfights. The town was so dear to him that he married his second wife, Jacqueline Roque, in secrecy at the Vallauris town hall in 1961.

Vallauris remained a center of ceramics, gradually moving away from the influence of Picasso, though his strong artistic influence can still be found. Many of the town’s factories collectively signed ‘Vallauris’ without identifying themselves or the artist, rather identifying with the reputation of Vallauris as a world center for the production of decorative ceramics.

That said, the Vallauris name is by no means a guarantee of good taste. There was (and still is) a large body of audacious work created for the tourist market by anonymous ceramicists, mainly from the 1950’s through the 1970’s, usually signed ‘Made in Vallauris’. Leave that to somebody else’s collection.

Original linocut exhibition poster for an exhibition of Picasso’s work in Vallauris, 1955