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<\/p>\nPablo Picasso is among the most well known artists of the 20th century, credited with co-founding the entire Cubist movement. The Spanish painter and sculptor\u2019s abstract depictions of the human form, like in his famous anti-war mural, \u201cGuernica\u201d (1937), are easily recognized. But in his later life, he devoted himself to the study of ceramics, eventually creating almost 4,000 works over the course of 25 years.<\/p>\n
The often overlooked ceramic work of Picasso is highlighted at Bowers Museum\u2019s latest exhibition, \u201cPicasso Ceramics from the Rosenbaum Collection,\u201d on view now through Feb. 28 in Santa Ana.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis exhibition offers a unique opportunity to explore different dimensions of his creativity,\u201d said Se\u00e1n O\u2019Harrow, chief executive of Bowers Museum. \u201cThrough clay, Picasso transformed ancient ceramic traditions onto a bold and deeply personal artistic language.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Guest curator Salvador Haro Gonz\u00e1lez in front of a photo of Pablo Picasso in his ceramic studio at the Bowers Museum.<\/p>\n
(Sarah Mosqueda)<\/p>\n
Organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions and guest curated by Salvador Haro Gonz\u00e1lez, the show contains 63 original prints and limited-edition ceramics from the artist.<\/p>\n
A spinning potter\u2019s wheel connected to a digital timeline traces Picasso\u2019s career before landing at 1947, when the artist began visiting the renowned Madoura pottery workshops in Vallauris, France. He developed his craft by first shaping vases and plates and eventually moving on to more conceptual works.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only did he create wonderful pieces, he did very interesting, very complex, very innovative pieces,\u201d Gonz\u00e1lez said.<\/p>\n
The works featured come from the Rosenbaum collection of Boca Raton, Fla. Marvin Rosenbaum spent nearly 50 years collecting Picasso ceramics, inspired by his own visit to Vallauris, where he first discovered and fell in love with the artist\u2019s ceramics. Today, the Rosenbaum Collection includes over 600 works.<\/p>\n
Many of the pieces combine Picasso\u2019s signature playfulness with technical skill. An earthenware piece, titled \u201cFour Faces,\u201d features a funny face from all four angles. It was cleverly created by leaning into the curvature of the vessel and taking advantage of the handle, which from one vantage point serves as a nose.<\/p>\n
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Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881\u20131973), Four Faces,1959 \u00a9 2026 Estate of Pablo Picasso.<\/p>\n
(Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York)<\/p>\n
Gonz\u00e1lez notes that while some of Picasso\u2019s other works might be more challenging for the casual art viewer, ceramics tend to be a more approachable medium.<\/p>\n
\u201cCeramics are more familiar and closer to ordinary people, ordinary life and they help us better understand Picasso\u2019s viewpoint,\u201d Gonz\u00e1lez said. \u201cSeeing a face that is facing front but also in profile at the same time, people don\u2019t always understand. But in ceramics it is quite easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Archival photographs and other multimedia supplement the ceramics, depicting how Picasso mastered working with clay. In addition, Bowers Museum collaborated with Orange County School of the Arts to create examples of ceramics in different stages for this exhibition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d like to thank Randy Au, assistant director of the Visual Arts Conservatory at Orange County School of the Arts,\u201d O\u2019Harrow said. \u201cHe and his students created a marvelous ceramic touch gallery in this exhibition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other interactive elements at the show include an opportunity for visitors to design their own vessels on a worksheet with colored pencils that can then be projected onto a large-scale vase.<\/p>\n
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Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881\u20131973), Wood-Owl with Feathers, 1951 \u00a9 2026 Estate of Pablo Picasso.<\/p>\n
(Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.)<\/p>\n
In honor of the exhibition, Bowers Museum will also host a Ceramics Fair on Nov. 15 in the John M. Lee Court and Key Courtyard from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Nov. 29, the museum will present a special screening of \u201cThe Mystery of Picasso\u201d a 1956 documentary on the artist in the Norma Kershaw Auditorium at 1:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Harrow hopes the exhibition will inspire visitors to see the famed Picasso in a new light.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis reminds us that great artists never stop experimenting, questioning and reimagining the world around them,\u201d O\u2019Harrow said.<\/p>\n