a center for ceramics since the 15th century The town is rustic and working class—an artist and artisan-friendly microcosm on the French Riviera “Ceramic pieces from Vallauris are famed around the country from restaurants in Cannes to Paris,” Lesley Bodzy tells me She is one of the five current residents at AIR Vallauris a sculptor based between New York and Houston Although she has dabbled in ceramics—she revisited the material by taking a class in Houston earlier this year but when she realized she would not be able to learn enough to experiment she decided to spend her residency painting and foam with a heavy focus on material experimentation within feminist thematics Pfeiffer went back to basics working on observational sketches in France: “The journal part of my sketchbook of my day-to-day experiences at the residency will be the basis of my next series of paintings when I return to Philadelphia,” Pfeiffer wrote to me in an email Her paintings have naive elements that resemble outsider art—” I feel when one is fused on the inside and has clarity (mentally physically) reaching for a higher state of consciousness becomes easier,” she says about her piece Gamma in which she has depicted the brainwave of bliss Pfeiffer has been on AIR Vallauris mailing list for fifteen years finally attending was an important milestone arrived in Vallauris some 20 years ago from Canada and seems to have found his Gamma by running the residency which has accepted more than 450 artists since its founding in 2001 the famed ceramic workshop where Picasso made his ceramics with its owners Suzanne and Georges Ramie Although there is a Picasso museum in Antibes Vallauris is home to the largest holding of his ceramics a mural in the city as well as Boy with Lamb I wasn’t sure what I was going to make but I decided to go back to watercolors,” Bodzy tells me on the phone photographed the places he visited and in turn one of them including the square where Picasso’s Boy with a Lamb stands The legend of Picasso (who also encouraged others to come like Henri Matisse Pfeiffer wrote to me: “Picasso was a genius His work is the definition of confidence.” Also an astrologer Pfeiffer added: “he is the embodiment of the sign of Scorpio Very intense.” Picasso moved to Vallauris in 1948 with his partner Françoise Gilot whose career he tried to destroy after she took their two children and left him in 1953 “My work is about how women move through the world I have made a series about concealment and beauty Not negatively—as I both adhere to but have also found ways to overcome societal norms and pressures put on women,” explains Bodzy As one of the few women graduating from a leading law school in the 1980s she was a pioneer for other women in the field Bodzy has great respect for Gilot’s story—” she took a great risk breaking away from first her own family and then Picasso in search for autonomy The residency produced an unexpected collaboration approached Bodzy to collaborate on work together Cantarno made small postcard-size pieces that Bodzy decorated with painting and sgraffito using a dark almost black rough clay with some porcelain slip applied as a rough emulsion with broad brushstrokes—”leaving the edges showing the dark clay,“ Cantarno who is interested in the materiality of clay wrote me “Lesley used a very modern and clean decoration in contrast with the pieces creating a great result of rough versus clean lines,” writes Cantarno Similar to Bodzy’s approach to material exploration in her sculptural practice Cantarno enjoys experimenting with clay and glazes “I love exploring new glazes but I also like leaving clay unglazed as I love the feel of clay in my hands I have worked with a lot of crawls and lava glazes as well as many others that are also smooth I have been trying out “gold-ish” manganese glazes but haven’t found one that I’m happy with yet but also don’t want to use them much because of their toxicity A collection of heads resembles a modernist aesthetic She works with both functional designs in larger editions and unique sculptural pieces and explains that interest in ceramics has increased in Australia significantly since COVID with major events like the Australian Ceramics Triennial and Clay Gulgong and as part of a trending interest for the slow-made and hand-made Timea Tihanyi traveled to France to research the origins of European porcelain In the residency cycle’s closing exhibition she is showing a video of a soft clay installation she built during her residency Perhaps it reflects the ornamentation from this research or an evocation of the hands and bodies of female factory workers of the past at the great French porcelain factories Chantilly or Saint-Cloud: “Using soft clay to hold the hanging fibers together yet others recall visceral bodily matter: bones and sinews bird and insect nests.” She titled the work Sisters to reflect that it is about “women and connections that individuals use to balance Tihanyi has a background in medicine and neuroscience and she is interested in the differences between feeling and perception versus abstract cognitive processes “I think our human brains mix these two modalities all the time and I am curious where one begins and the other ends,” she wrote to me Her latest project Touching Space is a custom-built VR from which users can “shape the sculptures from the inside by hand” and then download and print with a 3D clay printer The results will be on at the Ceramics Invitational at the Museum of Northwest Art in 2025 she founded a Slip Rabbit ceramic studio that was pioneering in 3D printed ceramics and teaches at the University of Washington The area is rich in art and home to many sculpture gardens and private foundations centering contemporary art like Chateau Lacoste Foundation Carmignac—and one of the first private museums in the area AIR Vallauris organizes an exhibition at the end of each residency cycle exhibiting the work of current residents in a church in a show attended by locals and tourists alike Jodi Muzylowski’s material and technical exploration has taken her through Greece and now France where she has worked on raku as well as Korean Onggi—throwing large vessels on the wheel but most predominantly she has developed an interest in ash glazes I went to the site of a wildfire that happened just a week before I had arrived Part of the area had been a sort of dumping site for construction debris and garbage The ashes from this site created the most beautiful effects in the glaze I made while at Aviario Studios in Ferreira do Zèzere,” Muzylowski wrote to me The organizers of a 2-week symposium in Kastraki in Greece she was attending earlier in the year had developed ash glazes using different types of wood—thinking about the wildfires that had spread across Europe and the Americas the idea to make ash glazes from wildfire ash sparked in Muzylowski she is creating a series of pieces using wildfire ash glazes decorative pieces influenced by the clay’s plasticity and the glaze’s reactivity to the minerals in the iron-rich clay,” she explained continuing on her installation design for the closing exhibition: “because the show is in a centuries-old church I made use the furniture I found inside to create a fresh dialogue between the pieces and the venue.” One thing that struck me was that the five women of AIR Vallauris’s current cycle all mentioned their positive experiences of working with other women Pfeiffer wrote: “Living at the residence with a bunch of women is something I haven’t done in decades Being women artists intensifies the energy.” Bodzy and Cantarno worked together Muzylowski developed skills with other women during multiple residencies and Tihanyi wrote passionately working with her students back home in Seattle It is beautiful when a residency cohort find communion Follow AIR Vallauris most recent cohort on Instagram: Katie Pfeiffer @kater322, Soledad Contardo @solceramic, Timea Tihanyi @sliprabbitstudio, Jodi Muzylowski, @jmuzylowski, and Lesley Bodzy @lesleybodzy. Apply for the residency here Lesley Bodzy’s Sculptures Unleash, Unfurl, and Embrace Ceramics at The Salon Art + Design in New York Grid and Gestures: Stella Pfeiffer in Her New York Studio Anna Mikaela Ekstrand is editor-in-chief and founder of Cultbytes. She mediates art through writing, curating, and lecturing. Her latest books are Assuming Asymmetries: Conversations on Curating Public Art Projects of the 1980s and 1990s and Curating Beyond the Mainstream a Pomona native who is the majority owner of the exclusive Soho House members' clubs around the world has purchased a trio of iconic Palm Springs properties: The O’Donnell House and Willows Historic Palm Springs Inn The trio of properties are located near one another in the Historic Tennis Club neighborhood, but it is not yet clear if Burkle plans on extending his hospitality holdings to the desert; Soho House already has plans to expand to the Caribbean, Tel Aviv, Rome, Paris and Austin in early 2021 Burkle has also been affiliated with other hospitality brands including the NoMad and the Freehand Hotel in downtown Los Angeles — both were restored historic properties.  He also owns the famed Bob Hope house at the top of Southridge Drive in south Palm Springs A company affiliated with Burkle's investment firm Yuicaipa Companies purchased the properties He purchased the Willows and the accompanying event space O’Donnell House for nearly $19 million a popular wedding venue just a half-mile away sold for about $14.5 million; Le Vallauris which is also in the neighborhood and houses a French restaurant, sold for about $2.85 million according to sale prices listed with the deed transfers.  A representative for Yucaipa confirmed the transactions to The Desert Sun on Monday Future plans for the properties have yet to be finalized.  The properties acquired by GHPSI all have a long history as hideouts for the elite in Palm Springs Paul Marut and Tracy Conrad were the previous owners of the O’Donnell House, a designated historic site that's become a popular venue for weddings and other special events. The home, built in 1925 for oil man Thomas O’Donnell and designed by architect Charles Tanner was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 Marut and Conrad also owned the adjacent Willow Historic Palm Springs Inn a luxurious eight-room boutique hotel that dates back to 1925. The Willows has hosted guests as famed as Albert Einstein, Joseph Kennedy and Shirley Temple while in modern years it became a favorite haunt for Hollywood celebrities Marut and Conrad restored the property in the 1990s and it features private patios and a Mediterranean-style design Real estate records show GHPSI also acquired Colony 29 and surrounding lots from David Johnston The approximately 7-acre site at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains includes multiple homes including a breathtaking main house with a pool terrace and large windows, surrounded by lush landscaping Colony 29 has become a popular spot for weddings and corporate events as well as those looking for a vacation rental compound — it even made an appearance on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." The Palm Springs City Council unanimously passed an amendment in June 2019 to change the property's land-use designation and granted a conditional-use permit to allow the site to operate as a six-unit hotel.  located at the end of West Tahquitz Canyon Way is a designated historic site known as the George Roberson residence that was built in 1927 son of noted early hotelier and philanthropist Nellie Coffman lived in the home for about 50 years while operating The Desert Inn nearby Later, Paul Bruggemans and Omar Haddedou opened Le Vallauris at the site in the mid-1970s. The spot earned a reputation for the finest French dining Palm Springs has to offer that showcases the original layout of the home and an ultra-private outdoor patio Burkle is the controlling shareholder of the exclusive members’ club chain Soho House which originated in London in 1995 and now has multiple outposts in places like New York as well as international destinations like Mykonos It bills itself as "a home for creative people to come together." Soho House was founded by Nick Jones as a club for artists and actors in London. It's since grown to encompass 27 locations in nine countries that members can frequent for dining Burkle bought control of the enterprise in 2012 Becoming a member is an exclusive and expensive process, where would-be applicants have to be approved by a members’ committee. Membership fees vary based on level of access and location, but a membership calculator on the website shows an annual cost for membership at the West Hollywood location is about $2,430 plus a registration fee though people aged 27 and under would pay half that Non-members currently can book hotel stays at two locations: Redchurch Townhouse in London and Soho House Istanbul according to the Soho House website.  The club also had a get-together for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival; in prior years Soho House was known for buying out the Merv Griffin Estate in La Quinta for pop-up parties near the festival grounds in Indio Burkle is a savvy billionaire investor with high-profile investments in retail hospitality technology and entertainment; in addition to Soho House he’s a co-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins A Pomona native who got his start in the grocery business he’s run investment firm Yucaipa Companies for more than 30 years The firm has made more than $40 billion worth of mergers and acquisitions More: Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch sold to billionaire Ron Burkle The properties aren’t the first time Burkle has invested in Palm Springs. He purchased the Bob Hope house for $13 million in 2016 which sits just down the road on Southridge Drive In late 2020, he also purchased the former Los Olivos home of Michael Jackson — Neverland Ranch — for $22 million after it had previously been listed for $100 million several years ago He also once owned the famed Ennis house in Los Angeles Melissa Daniels covers economic development hospitality and local business in the Coachella Valley one of the best-known chefs on the Côte d’Azur While Hôtel Restaurant Alain Llorca in Colle sur Loup has stunning views and exceptional cuisine modern-chic cousin in Vallauris offers exceptional value for a delicious meal that is kinder to the wallet Mixing Provençal cuisine with recipes from his native Catalonia the chef woos guests with dishes like cold melon soup sea bass with artichokes and mashed potatoes and a tempting variety of pastries from the display case for dessert Information on this page, including website, location, and opening hours, is subject to have changed since this page was last published. If you would like to report anything that’s inaccurate, let us know at notification@afar.com. AFAR participates in affiliate marketing programs which means we may earn a commission if you purchase an item featured on our site.© 2025 AFAR LLC Food + Drink by | Jan 6, 2019 Sin and guilt are the decadence of life. When you indulge the former, the latter follows. But in one glorious instance — dessert — the two join in conceit and concert, and that sweet sensation reminds you that life is good. None of this is lost on Laurent Dellac, the pastry chef at Le Vallauris Restaurant in Palm Springs. You might be unable to pronounce the names of some of his desserts, but that only makes them better. One bite of his tropical Pavlova and you won’t care what it’s called or how to say it. Grab a fork and start checking off all your dessert requirements: crunchy, soft, sweet, and fruity with a tiny bit of zing. The confection begins with exotic pineapple cooked to perfection with dark rum and vanilla. That’s topped with coconut sorbet. Then comes the Pavlova. “It’s a style of meringue named after the famed Russian ballerina,” Dellac explains. For this dessert, he quickly cooks the meringue at a high temperature. “That creates a crunchy exterior texture with an inside that’s pillowy soft like a marshmallow.” Next comes a hit of passion fruit–mango coulis and a sprinkling of shaved coconut. Sliced kiwi adds show-stopping brightness to the presentation. But wait! One last coup de grâce makes the dish dazzle: Drizzles of vanilla Chantilly crown each delectable bite. What next, you may ask. There’s an easy answer: You close your eyes. The taste lingers on your tongue. And just like that, you’re feelin’ it. Laurent Dellac, the pastry chef at Le Vallauris Restaurant in Palm Springs. The father of Cubism and an artistic genius, Pablo Picasso has handed down a magnificent legacy to the art world. Set on the Côte d’Azur – his spiritual home – the Picasso Museum in Antibes and Pablo Picasso National Museum in Vallauris unveil the infinite riches of the artist’s world. Pablo Picasso fell in love with the South of France’s inimitable quality of light and never ceased to explore the beauty of Provence and the Côte d’Azur, from Sorgues to Arles, Ménerbes, Vauvenargues, Juan-les-Pins, Antibes, Vallauris, Cannes and Mougins, where he died in 1973… These sunny lands, ceaselessly echoing his birthplace Spain, provided him with limitless sources of inspiration and forged his fame as an independent and visionary creator. Une publication partagée par Artlyst (@artlyst) Une publication partagée par Quentin Perissinotto (@qperissinotto) Picasso enriched the collection with 78 ceramics created at the famous Madoura studio in Vallauris The collection never ceased to grow over the years expanding from an improvised studio to become “his” museum the museum officially became the Picasso Museum – the first ever dedicated to him Everyday scenes and still lifes feature among the iconic works shown in Antibes alongside “La Joie de Vivre” and “Satyr reflecting Picasso’s fascination with Greek mythology Picasso expressed his indignation and hopes through his work The Bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 submerged him with pain and rage and inspired one of his most famous and darkest works “Guernica” (1937) he became a member of the Communist Party and focused heavily on the theme of peace Situated in the heart of the historic quarter of Vallauris harbours two monumental works by the artist installed in 1954: “War” and “Peace” set facing each other and joining at the top of the arched ceiling they were painted from 300 preliminary sketches and mounted on a specially-designed wooden structure A mural entitled “The Four Corners of the World” completes the ensemble This sacred site offers an eternal song of praise to Picasso’s immeasurable talent French-inspired restaurant located in the heart of the southern California desert Le Vallauris Restaurant is considered one of the finest restaurants in Palm Springs a classic Mediterranean Revival style home built by George B the son of Palm Springs pioneer Nellie Coffman Le Vallauris is a picturesque representation of French cuisine casual elegance and old fashioned European hospitality Adorned with beautiful European tapestries and distinctive Louis-XV furniture entering Le Vallauris is like taking a step backward in time into a distant part of the world only read about and viewed through the narrow lens of television and theatre tuxedo-clad host who directs you to your seat and guides you through the expansive menu which is designed and presented in a very fine And the decision is never an easy one—you’ll be thoroughly tempted by each and every tantalizing item Chef Jean Paul Lair is a true master at creating mouthwatering as well as some of the classic French delectables that have been prepared and celebrated for centuries From sautéed foie gras and garlic butter burgundy escargot traditionally-prepared French favorites to one of the most unlikely places in the world—the southern California desert Le Vallauris was specifically intended to be a French-inspired counterpart to the popular L.A offering a signature line of gourmet foods to the Hollywood crowd that winters in Palm Springs it has been regarded as a distinguished culinary landmark by locals and out-of-towners alike Zagat presented Le Vallauris with their highest rating of "Extraordinary to Perfection" in all categories—food, decor and service—and was ranked among the top 100 restaurants in the United States based on consumer reviews gathered by OpenTable.com So there’s no question that this cozy little French-style brasserie has something extraordinary to offer the inquisitive (and often fussy) southern California audience Le Vallauris also features an elegant piano bar and a pleasant outdoor dining experience in a secluded tree-shaded courtyard sun-drenched afternoons or the utterly-romantic no French restaurant would be complete without an expansive wine menu Le Vallauris stocks a number of unique varietals made by private highly acclaimed producers from all regions of the world who are among the very best in the trade Le Vallauris is also the perfect place to hold parties so keep it in mind for the next time you’re planning out a special event or celebration It’s located in the heart of Palm Springs on West Tahquitz Canyon Way near the Palm Mountain Resort and Spa and O‘Donnell Golf Club Reservations call (760) 325-5059 - Located on 385 W Tahquitz Canyon Way - Palm Springs there are no recent results for popular videos Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: The steady manager who has helped to steer one of the most prominent longtime restaurants in the Coachella Valley is also a hospitality leader in Southeast Asia best known locally as the quiet elegant general manager at Le Vallauris Restaurant in Palm Springs has been recognized by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN,) Travel and Tourism Hall of Fame for his continued leadership and success in driving innovation in the Indonesian hospitality industry “My life mantra has always been to prepare the next generation of hoteliers for the future and to build economic vitality in the tourism sector,” said Bruggemans “What an honor it is to be recognized.” Bruggemans is also the CEO of Sahid International Hotel Management & Consulting Corporation in Indonesia He also serves as a member of the board of directors for the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau.  began his long career as Chef Intendant of the First Belgian-Dutch expedition in the South Pole in 1963 spending a whole year on Antarctica. In 1965 upon graduating from hotel school in Brussels Bruggemans immigrated to the United States and spent 10 years working in hotels in the Hawaiian islands From Hawaii, it was on to Southeast Asia government-owned Sonargaon Hotel (later Pan Pacific) in Dhaka reporting directly to President Hussain Muhammad Ershad.  RELATED ASEAN COVERAGE: Obama and Southeast Asian leaders to talk trade, security Throughout the 1980s and '90s Bruggemans' work has spanned several countries in the region including the Philippines In the late 1990s Bruggemans went on to work with tourism officials in South Africa following the apartheid regime.  "The reason I am very pleased is that very few people in the Valley know that I had a career before Le Vallauris," Bruggemans told me Bruggemans is best known for his work at Le Vallauris which has been serving fine French cuisine for 44 years in Palm Springs The restaurant is operated by his brother Paul Bruggemans.  Coachella Valley residents will recall ASEAN officials met at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage in February 2016 for a two-day summit with President Barack Obama and other U.S which brought together leaders of 10 Asian nations was the first of its kind in the United States I first met Tony Bruggamans nearly five years ago and was invited to a media brunch served on the patio at Le Vallauris. Tony and his staff wanted to showcase some of the new menu items diners could expect in the upcoming season I was seated next to an enchanting petite blonde woman named Gloria Greer you will understand that's not an afternoon soon forgotten.  Tony has remained a reliable source for smart informed and candid analysis of our tourism economy here in the desert Skip Descant is The Desert Sun’s tourism reporter He can be reached at edescantjr@palmspri.gannett.com and @TDSskip by | Dec 12 Going to Le Vallauris for any reason is always a special occasion But the Palm Springs restaurant’s first wine dinner of the season with Robert Keenan Winery of Napa Valley – and sitting with winery CEO Michael Keenan -- was an elevated experience Le Vallauris’ elegant garden patio with its towering up-lit fichus trees was the setting for this sold-out wine dinner Each table was centered with white rose bouquets and square glass candle holders illuminating myriad wine glasses set for the various wine courses We sat at a large round table near the house where open sliding glass doors seemed to make the interior dining rooms flow onto the patio Sitting between Keenan and his wine representative we learned that Keenan’s father Robert bought some 180 acres in the Spring Mountain district in 1974 that included the defunct Peter Conradi vineyards The Conradi vineyards was built in the early 1900s but declined during the prohibition era The elder Keenan believed that the 1,700-foot-elevation mountain side vineyard would produce world-class cabernet and chardonnay wines He built his new winery on the existing stone walls of the Conradi winery He replanted the vineyard with higher quality vines and began to “go green” with sustainable practices and complete solar power “The east-facing orientation of the vineyard on Spring Mountain is critical for the grapes to get enough warmth and sun,” Keenan said “The higher elevation and rocky soil cause stress on the vines that increases the quality of the grapes.” Elkovitch said the winery on Spring Mountain is called the “magic vineyard” because only ocean fog and rain waters the vineyard Keenan Winery also produces several blends such as Mernet half cabernet and half merlot; a cabernet franc; and a seasonal limited edition Summer Blend which is 80 percent chardonnay plus smaller percentages of viognier and Albarino The impetus for the wine dinner began last summer when Le Vallauris’ sommelier Bruce Barrett purchased several cases of the coveted Summer Blend “I immediately contacted (Le Vallauris owner) Paul Bruggemans and said we have to plan a Keenan wine dinner to enjoy the Summer Blend,” said Barrett This was also the first time Keenan Winery had a wine-pairing dinner at Le Vallauris The five-course dinner began with a sparkling glass of Mumm Napa cuvee with frothy cups of butternut cappuccino and savory foie gras crème brulee We tasted the Summer Blend with the first course a Maine lobster soufflé accompanied by a small sipping cup of aged parmesan and bisque veloute A choice of main courses – roasted Pennsylvanian veal filet with chanterelles or roasted Chilean sea bass – was served with a Keenan 2012 merlot and 2013 chardonnay The chardonnay is made purely from the Spring Mountain estate-grown grapes buttery taste with a hint of toasty oak and peaches This was matched with the almond-crusted sea bass that came on a bed of zucchini puree with blood orange beurre blanc The merlot’s violet notes and spiciness went well with veal in chanterelle reduction A cheese course of bleu d’Auvergne and dried figs terrine was underscored with a rich Keenan 2012 syrah This wine is produced from grapes from Atlas Peak a rectangle of Venezuelan Araguani dark chocolate feuillantine praline with Tahitian vanilla bean Chantilly was served with Keenan’s 2012 Spring Mountain cabernet sauvignon While cabernet is usually served with an entrée the dark chocolate dessert was an inspired choice Le Vallauris’ chef Jean-Paul Lair and pastry chef Laurent Dellac were warmly applauded when Bruggemans introduced them to the wine dinner guests Other special events at Le Vallauris are its specially priced holiday group menus for $49 per person from Dec 1 to 20 (excluding Saturdays); Christmas Eve and Day and New Year’s Eve menus plus cooking classes every second Monday of the month Menus and reservations are available on line (760) 325-5059; www.levallauris.com Afternoon sunlight filters through the forest of fichus trees that shade the colorful garden terrace at Le Vallauris in downtown Palm Springs seated at white linen-covered patio tables all happily occupied with talking and eating during lunch at this elegant French restaurant an impressionist snapshot of people engaged in enjoying life If dining at Le Vallauris is on your bucket list here's the good news: This beloved restaurant is now open for lunch daily with a special Sunday brunch menu The lunch menu offers many of the same delicious items as dinner foie gras has quickly returned to the menu Hudson Valley foie gras is offered with pear and fig cabernet syrup and hearts of palm the house-made wild boar pate with pistachios and garlicky-buttery escargot are all available as lunch appetizers An a la carte menu offers seared ahi tuna in sesame crust grilled petit filet of beef with peppercorn sauce and sautéed sweetbreads in lemon and capers And daily specials handwritten on white boards set on easels are brought to the table while patrons consider all of the options we chose the red beet gazpacho appetizer and grilled salmon in honey citrus sauce beautiful deep red beets pureed to a foamy lightness in a light citrus flavor came topped with croutons and fresh basil an interesting treatment of this nutritious root vegetable A generous portion of lightly grilled salmon (asked how well I wanted the salmon cooked) was poised across a tasty medley of broccoli Perhaps the best bargain is the prix fixe three-course menu for $37 or the wild boar pate are among appetizer choices Entrees range from the grilled petit filet grilled fish of the day or duck breast; and desserts blood orange pancetta or their famous volcano chocolate cake The price for a regular lunch entrée is $19-$34 my host Omar Haddedou boxed up the rest of the salmon and tucked a lovely pear tart into another box to take along Le Vallauris has held court in Palm Springs as one of the most elegant and culinary creative restaurants Tucked up near the mountain in the historic 1920s home of pioneer George Robson Belgian-born brothers Paul and Tony Bruggemans bring European sophistication to their restaurant combined with an understanding and respect of California's cuisine and Palm Springs' culture Executive chef Jean Paul Lair has the opportunity to create with locally sourced products which are introduced on the changing daily specials menu but reflects the same French-influenced California philosophy A classic Spanish-revival house-turned-restaurant retains the charm of the era with a double fireplace between the living room and less formal dining niche that overlooks the terrace tables are elegantly dressed with boxed skirting all with Flemish tapestries and Louis XV furnishings Tables on the terrace wear pink underskirts overlaid with white linen and fresh cut flowers tight yellow rosebuds were tucked into square glass vases filled with pebbles A colorful comfy banquette offers seating in the front lounge where a well-polished bar is backed by mirror and glass shelves lined with liquors “If all the paths I’ve traveled were marked on a map and connected with a line it might resemble a Minotaur,” Pablo Picasso once said never physically journeyed to Greece despite his extensive travels across Europe his profound engagement with Greek history and culture is unmistakable in his oeuvre evident in his depictions inspired by 5th century BC painters like Apollodorus and Zeuxis the plasticity of Archaic sculptures and 4th century BC sculptor Praxiteles with bull-leaping emerging as a recurring motif in the repertoire of a painter hailed among the vanguard of modernism centaurs and fauns inhabit Picasso’s artistic landscape these forms radiate the vitality of life and the light of the Mediterranean,” says art theorist and critic Takis Mavrotas curator of “Pablo Picasso: The Brilliant Champion of Art and Democracy Through Rare Posters and Ceramics,” set to open on May 11 at the European Cultural Center of Delphi (ECCD) The exhibition will feature 55 rare posters crafted by Picasso Several of these posters bear Picasso’s signature They are all drawn from the world-famous collection of Werner Roethlisberger a passionate art lover renowned worldwide for his trove of original Picasso posters A portion of Roethlisberger’s collection will be showcased for the first time in Greece at Delphi “These posters illuminate Picasso’s ability to transmute inspiration into tangible form and emotion with a mere stroke,” observes Mavrotas “Their defining characteristic lies in the seamless fusion of image and message while Picasso’s exuberant character ensured a constant stream of fresh works The posters were crafted with the assistance of experienced lithographer Fernand Mourlot printer Hidalgo Arnera and printmakers Aldo and Piero Crommelynck a small village near Cannes where Picasso resided at the time It was here that they produced engravings and original posters including many featured in this exhibition Among the valuable pieces from the Roethlisberger collection two rare posters stand out: “Un demi-siecle de livres illustres” from 1956 a lithograph from which 700 copies were made with 100 bearing Picasso’s signature; and “Dans l’argile de Picasso” from 1957 Inquiring about Picasso’s artistic indebtedness to ancient Greece Picasso created a poster showcasing the bold red profile of a goat the nocturnal bird of prey renowned for its penetrating gaze symbolizing the wisdom of the goddess Athena embodying the enigmatic allure of the night characterized by its simplicity and familiarity resonates with the authentic elegance of ancient Greek aesthetics,” he remarks 20 representative ceramic works by Picasso will grace the exhibition in Delphi including a striking vase depicting a determined bullfighter facing down an enraged bull watched by spectators amid the tension of life and death remained fervently committed to his artistic pursuits Within the Madoura Pottery studio of Suzanne and Georges Ramie pitchers and various objects for local summer exhibitions his ceramic output amounted to over 3,500 pieces with more than 600 reproduced in series ranging from 25 to 500 items each “These ceramics bear witness to his reverence for the humble substance of clay and his artistic ingenuity They represent a multifaceted artistry born from the malleable clay and the alchemy of fire which imposes its own laws of transformation turning it into enduring material,” says Mavrotas While Picasso received widespread acclaim internationally his work also garnered significant admiration from Greek artists Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas (also known as Nikos Ghika) cherished an embossed ceramic plate by Picasso featuring a dominant horseman figure a gift to set and costume designer Dionysis Fotopoulos as are four impressive plates acquired by painter Alekos Fassianos in Paris We ask the curator about the connection between Picasso’s original posters and his ceramics “Both mediums hold equal value in terms of their expressive power,” he responds “Central to both are depictions of the human form rendered with Picasso’s instinctive style – disruptive His ceramics and posters unveil an imaginative realm that directly echoes his painterly vision offering a vivid testament to his poetic exploration of art and life Picasso’s primary interest lay in capturing spontaneous emotions both ceramics and engraving played pivotal roles in disseminating his artistic legacy What message does Mavrotas believe emerges from this exhibition alternately as a harlequin or a bullfighter waged a battle against violence and obscurantism championing freedom and human ideals through his art A trailblazer of the major aesthetic revolutions of the 20th century he delved into myths and history with profound insight exploring the boundaries of humanity and the universe His relentless pursuit was the creation of an aesthetic reality infused with novel plastic elements and semantic correlation he illuminated the essence of the dream world the realm that anchors life itself and emanates an unceasing vitality unconventional lifestyles and the liberation of thought,” he says The exhibition holds significant artistic and educational value continuing the artistic program of the ECCD which has previously hosted notable exhibitions featuring artists such as Takis as well as thematic exhibitions like “Columns and Pillars,” “Apollo’s Heritage” and “Clay and Plastic Art Creation.” Accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue showcasing all the exhibited artworks accompanied by theoretical analysis by the president of the ECCD governing board the exhibition highlights Picasso’s immense contribution to engraving and ceramics guided tours will be offered throughout the exhibition necessitating the use of smartphones with headphones a roundtable discussion titled “Pablo Picasso the Great Innovator of 20th Century Art” will be held Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox Plan to close public beach when King Salman and his 500-strong retinue stay at Riviera villa in Vallauris stirs republican passions The famously golden beaches and azure blue seas of the French Riviera are proving to be the rocky point where republican ideals meet realpolitik When a Saudi royal and his 500-strong retinue want to close a stretch of seafront on the Côte d’Azur fraternité” all they want – the beach is closed Bathers at La Mirandole – a narrow sliver of rocks and sands at Vallauris six miles from Cannes – have been told the area will be sealed off any day now on the arrival of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud the grounds of whose mansion stretch along a kilometre of coastline French officials also plan a 300-metre exclusion zone out to sea The decision has caused widespread outrage among locals in Vallauris used to bathing and fishing at the beach “The point we wish to make is that not everything can be bought,” councillor Jean-Noel Falcou told the Guardian “The Saudis have been coming here for 40 years and they are welcome; all we ask is that they respect French law.” “A public beach is an inalienable public property open to anyone and everyone whoever they are This has nothing to do with security and everything to do with personal pleasure which is supposed to support republican values is giving of there being one law for the rich and one for the poor is extremely disturbing and an unfortunate precedent.” King Salman is spending his summer holiday at the 1930s villa formerly known as the Château de l’Horizon where Winston Churchill and Hollywood celebrities once stayed Up to 500 members of the royal court are expected to join him either in the villa or in luxury hotels in Cannes was described by Punch magazine in the 1930s as a “white palace set on the water” The French authorities say closing a small beach is the least they can do to protect the head of a country engaged with them in air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq Local businesses are not complaining either hoteliers met at the weekend to discuss how best to welcome their visitors Michel Chevillon, president of the local hoteliers union, told the newspaper Nice Matin: “When the King comes 30 up to 50 or 60 rooms at a time … a total of between 500 and 1,000 rooms “This business hasn’t just fallen in our laps the results doesn’t only profit [fashion retailers] Chanel and Dior The Saudis have a very strong spending power and don’t count the cost They order 10,000-15,000 flowers every day and hundreds of limousines that give jobs to as many chauffeurs.” But Falcou said the economic benefits for Vallauris were almost zero If you were to ask them if they prefer to have the use of the beach or the economic benefit for a month said papers ordering the closure of the beach were ready to be signed as soon as the Saudi royal arrived The monarch is expected some time this week Castanet said the beach would remain closed while someone of “high importance” was at the villa as a measure to “avoid putting the king of a country at war in danger” there have been mostly angry responses to the closure Johnp wrote: “Everyone prostrates themselves before money If only there was as much motivation for taking care of the environment.” Claudy W added: “It’s unthinkable that a king can impose his wishes in a ’republic’ The security pretext is fallacious … What he wants is that his family can come and bathe on his private beach and too bad for the citizens.” The Gaullist politician Nicolas Dupont-Aignan told radio station France Inter: “What shocks me is that we appear to have returned to the ancien régime in our country It’s the end of the equality of rights … There are security reasons and perhaps compromises to be found but as a general rule what revolts our citizens is that the law is different if you are rich than if you are poor It’s the appropriation of a public space by a foreign head of state.” Originally called the Chateau de l”Horizon the modernist villa was built in 1932 for the American actor Maxine Elliott Churchill was a regular guest between 1934 and 1940 as well as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor Elizabeth Taylor and members of the Kennedy family During the second world war it was requisitioned by the Germans who used it as accommodation for Gestapo officers Prince Aly Khan bought it in 1948 and celebrated his marriage to Rita Hayworth perfuming the swimming pool with eau de cologne and having their initials created in flower petals on the surface and has been used by Saudi royals as a summer retreat ever since Is Palm Springs the romantic restaurant capital of America If you put any stock in a list of top swoon-inducing spots released by one restaurant reservation and reviews giant just in time for Valentine’s Day, it's certainly a strong contender for the title. That’s because our fair city was one of just three burgs to score three restaurants on the list of the Top 100 Romantic Restaurants in America OpenTable recently published And Palm Springs is keeping some pretty good company here: It beat out the likes of San Francisco New Orleans and Santa Fe while joining Savannah which boasts key romance advantages like super old buildings Spanish moss and good old-fashioned southern charm (read: waiters with accents) and New York (more accents but alas not really the good kind) in tying for the top dog distinction Ok, fine, so maybe New York doesn’t really scream romance, but it boasts about 8.4 million extra people and a bajillion more restaurants than Palm Springs, including that super kitschy place that provided the inspiration for the John Cusack romcom snoozefest “Serendipity” (somehow not on the list; get your act together when you spend your days running around underground dodging massive rats endless piles of garbage and ever-present unknown leaking substances while dreading an inevitable move to (ugh) New Jersey anything better than your ubercramped apartment probably starts to feel pretty romantic Adding to the local good vibes, Palm Springs’ three entries are up one from last year’s list proving that even hurricanes and more rounds of squabbling over statues can do little to dim our city’s appeal to romantic diners So which establishments earned us this proud distinction Copley’s, which serves up steaks and seafood in Cary Grant’s former 1940s estate and is entering its third decade this year, is the sole holdover from last year’s list. Interestingly, it infamously played host to one of the most explosive and drama-filled dustups in recent reality TV history when the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City dined there last year But it seems being the site of the brouhaha seen ‘round the world only served to strengthen its romantic appeal which has been earning fans with its pastoral aesthetic and traditional French menu which is in a historic Spanish Revival home and part of the SoHo House empire The lone Palm Springs restaurant to exit it, meanwhile, is also one of its most iconic, Spencer’s (good night, sweet prince). Still, fans of that swanky stalwart shouldn’t bristle too much: Spencer’s joined Copley’s, Farm, Le Vallauris and Si Bon on a list of the top 100 restaurants for outdoor dining OpenTable released last summer even the most carefully crafted of clickbait lists isn't perfect and all but the staunchest Palm Springs partisans among us will likely take issue with the short shrift the list gives the rest of the Coachella Valley It's not represented despite being home to the La Quinta Cliffhouse Mitch’s on El Paseo and several other spots that offer no shortage of nice views and amorous vibes we’ve found it doesn’t get much more romantic than a corner booth and some chicken fried steak from Sloan’s Restaurant when you’re in the right mood But that oversight might leave you wondering how does OpenTable even determine what makes a restaurant especially romantic the company explained that the list was created by analyzing over 12 million diner reviews and metrics including ratings and the percentage of restaurant reviews diners tagged as "romantic” (surely there's no way those who didn’t make the list will find anything to quibble with in that methodology Looking to take your lover a little further afield this Valentine’s Day It turns out California as a whole has no shortage of cute spots for cuddling up to your partner as the state So whether your tastes run toward seaside dining in San Diego or a rendezvous in such romantic capitals as you’ll find somewhere on it to suit your fancy the rest of the Golden State spots that made the cut: you’ll want to act quick: The press release touting the release of the list explained that last year 52% of Valentine’s Day dining reservations nationwide had already been made by Feb Paul Albani-Burgio covers growth, development and business in the Coachella Valley. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and email him at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com. Print Pablo Picasso took up ceramics in his 60s and it’s tempting to imagine why: Financially flush with a weighty political voice established by such works as “Guernica,” the mural painted in response to the Nazi bombing of the Basque town the artist was simply ready to loosen up and play with some clay Others have made similar light of his decades-long “hobby.” "Picasso: Ceramics," a survey published by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark Released this month by Distributed Art Publishers in conjunction with Louisiana’s recent exhibition the 128-page book shows 160 works created between 1947 and ’64 at the Madoura factory in Vallauris notably owner-ceramicist Suzanne Ramié and master thrower Jules Agard the artist produced some 4,000 ceramic objects Picasso’s “Femme à l’amphore,” 1947-48 White earthenware decorated with slips and incised 49 centimeters by 26.5 centimeters by 18 centimeters (Gerard Blot / RMN-Grand Palais / Musée National Picasso-Paris) “Eye and Bulls” by Pablo Picasso 40 centimeters by 40 centimeters by 5.5 centimeters (Beatrice Hatal / RMN-Grand Palais / Musée National Picasso-Paris) A Picasso piece from Musee National Picasso-Paris (Gerard Blot / RMN-Grand Palais / Musée National Picasso-Paris) Picasso employed his trademark bravado and lavish imagination to bust rules while steeping himself in fired clay’s ancient traditions (Ramié taught him 11 low-fire techniques.) What emanated from Madoura’s monumental Roman-style triple-level kiln was a spirited array that matched the master’s mood: Picasso was happy — seriously happy to explore a new medium Picasso never threw clay (perhaps too faultless a process for a cubist genius) but rather prodded and gouged it into hybrid amusements crossing animals and humans with ceramic shapes He often simply decorated what Agard first threw Jugs were transformed into heads; a vase’s handles became snakes or vines His witty riffs appeared on bowls and plates as well as on vases Stylings included mythological and zoomorphic motifs — a delightful eruption of irregularity “Eye and Bulls” by Pablo Picasso (Beatrice Hatala / RMN-Grand Palais / Musée National Picasso-Paris) Ceramic by Picasso 49 centimeters by 31 centimeters by 35 centimeters (Gerard Blot / RMN-Grand Palais / Musée National Picasso-Paris) “Fish” by Pablo Picasso 40 centimeters by 44 centimeters by 21 centimeters (Marc Domage) “Picasso: Ceramics” methodically explores those themes and includes chapters on the artist’s extensive sketches Authors surmise that Picasso reveled in the vagaries of fickle firings and shifting glazes that mark the art The fluid nature of painting with slips (clay mixed with water) carried into Picasso’s lithographic work of the late 1940s and ’50s Picasso was transfixed by the art’s intense transmutative heat That massive Roman kiln matched his fierce imagination “The magic of the fire that transforms and validates everything.” See all of our latest arts news and reviews at latimes.com/arts. Travel & Experiences World & Nation Hollywood Inc. Television Books Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Edward Quinn began photographing Picasso in 1951; a black-and-white image he took two years later captures Picasso in a quiet moment at his studio in France’s Côte d’Azur. The artist faces away from the camera, arms crossed, one hand clutching a stick of charcoal. The photo’s composition is crowded with metal plates, Cubist-style paintings An unpainted canvas with faint lines sketched onto it matches Picasso’s starched white shirt providing a nice visual break from the chaotic scene surrounding him He appears caught in a pensive moment of pause and we’re led to wonder if it’s authentic concern on his face Picasso in the Madoura studio, Vallauris, 1948Cahiers d'ArtPicasso painting a gothic pitcher, Madoura, Vallauris, 1953Cahiers d'ArtAdvertisementThat same year, Yves Manciet photographed Picasso at work in the Madoura ceramics workshop in Vallauris Picasso wears a knit skullcap and stares at a wall lined with his work: animal-like ceramic pitchers many of which are adorned with simple faces or lines drawings of fish or an owl picturing Picasso in the act of painting a gothic pitcher As is the case with the other photographs selected for this issue viewers are given a behind-the-scenes look into Picasso’s studio and process His pose suggests he is aware of the camera but he doesn’t ever seem to acknowledge it He’s often captured in profile or three-quarters view his eyes gazing beyond the frame—decisively directing the viewer’s gaze intimate pictures taken by the Irish photographer Edward Quinn over the course of his 19-year friendship with Picasso capture the artist in his downtime In 1951, the Irish photographer Edward Quinn was living in Monaco with his future wife, Margaret, taking advantage of the splendid subjects on offer on the Côte d’Azur. For Life and Paris Match, he snapped impromptu shots of Grace Kelly, Aristotle Onassis, and Brigitte Bardot Quinn traveled to a ceramics exhibition in Vallauris “I was not the only one who wanted to see Picasso that day,” he said later recalling how he pushed his way through a sea of cameras anticipating that a short photo op would be enough to appease the photographers Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Peter Harrington Gallery of Chelsea has an exhibition of limited edition linocuts ceramics and books signed by Pablo Picasso Highlights include: Aristophanes’ Lysistrata number 1,103 of 1,500 copies signed by Picasso This finely produced work features Picasso’s sensitive line drawings which carefully “capture the braggadocio of both the men and women in the play” one of three drypoint etchings on Japon Imperial paper signed by the artist in pencil on the lower right-hand corner from a total edition of around 200 unnumbered impressions This is a proof of Picasso’s portrait of the poet Aimé Césaire (1913-2008) which was used for Césaire’s 1950 work Corps Perdu the uncorrected title page of which is also printed on the sheet Signed in red crayon by Picasso lower right See also: Oxford Ceramics Shows 100 Years of The Leach Pottery  Signed in red pencil crayon lower right by Picasso and inscribed by Brassai on the half-title: “Pour Maud Leclerc who photographed much of Picasso’s work in the 1940s here builds an intimate portrait of Picasso himself recording each of their meetings with minute detail and also offering an insight into the lives of the artistic and intellectual milieu in wartime Paris Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) is perhaps the best known artist of the 20th century His most famous paintings include Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) and Guernica (1937) He collaborated with Serge Diaguilev and the Ballet Russes and with the choreographer Serge Lifar among others Other subjects in Picasso’s repertoire include more traditional themes The artist and the muse is a recurring motive in his career bullfight scenes and more classical scenes Peter Harrington is at 100 Fulham Road, Chelsea. More on the exhibition here www.peterharrington.co.uk Picasso Portrait to Headline Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern Art Sale Sotheby’s to Unveil Portrait of Picasso’s Golden Muse Bookseller Peter Harrington celebrates 50th anniversary Rare Bookseller Peter Harrington Launches World Literature Exhibition and Catalogue Ceramicist Kate Braine Showcases 300 Sculptural Pots in Her Private Chelsea Studio Home © 2024 Arts & Collections - All Rights Reserved You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed And what if it were also something that helped the fight against global warming the dreams of one art-loving environmentalist will soon come true The 10:10 campaign plans to give away an original linocut made by Pablo Picasso in 1956 and signed on the block (Picasso cut his signature into one of the linoleum blocks from which the image is printed so his signature prints as part of the image) Vallauris is a linocut printed in five colours Picasso produced a series of linocuts from 1951 to 1964 which were used as posters for an annual exhibition of ceramics in the southern French town of Vallauris where the Catalan artist had settled in 1948 arts and crafts exhibitions and bullfighting Picasso made many of his ceramic artworks near Vallauris Now the Vallauris linocut will enter history in a new role — raising money to fight climate change. To win the artwork, entrants can buy as many tickets as they wish to enter (each priced at £10.10) and answer a question about Picasso's work Correct entries will be drawn from a proverbial hat on 31 January next year and all proceeds go to the 10:10 campaign this is the best chance that us ordinary mortals have of getting our hands on a Picasso And you'll be saving the planet at the same time," said Franny Armstrong we could run the whole campaign for another 18 months." is one of a few printer's proofs made by Impremerie Arnera in 1956 and printed on Arches paper by the Association des potiers de Vallauris It was donated to the 10:10 campaign by art dealer and philanthropist Fred Mulder This article was amended on Monday 16 November 2009 We said the print by Picasso was signed; in fact it was signed on the block This means that Picasso cut his signature into one of the linoleum blocks from which the image is printed so his signature prints as part of the overall image Police confirm access to kilometre of Riviera coastline between Antibes and Marseille will be cut off Beach lovers on the French Riviera expressed their anger on Sunday over the imminent arrival of the Saudi royal family who have ordered a long stretch of beach to be closed off to the public but they should at least let us go for a swim,” said Mohamed Nestled in the rocks between the coastal railway and the translucent waters of the Mediterranean the grounds of the royal family’s immense villa stretch across a kilometre of Riviera coastline between Antibes and Marseille Local authorities confirmed that King Salman was due to arrive at some point this week and that access to the entire kilometre stretch would be cut off which can only be reached through a tunnel under the railway line “Access to the coast will be prohibited by police officers for the duration of the king’s holiday,” said local official Philippe Castanet Coastguards will also stop anyone coming within 300 metres of the villa by sea Beach users swung between disappointment and anger over the news “They take the decision and there’s nothing we can say,” said Mohamed rinsing off his fishing rod on the beachfront “It’s a good fishing spot and blocking access is not acceptable.” “the fact that his ceramic work did not arise from a spontaneous impulse he began with preparatory drawings for three-dimensional ceramics starting with the vase that he transformed into human or animal representations We know of seventy sheets of preparatory drawings for ceramic forms They show that Picasso’s first ceramic activity was not accidental the creative process is the same as that followed for his sculptures and paintings starting with drawings using the method of series variation and metamorphosis.” Ceramic objects became the object with which Picasso conducted his experiments so much so that he almost completely abandoned painting and sculpture: in a single year many of which are also preserved today in Italian public collections (starting with that of the MIC in Faenza) in Vallauris Picasso also tried out a new way of working he who was an artist little inclined to collaborations (except for the one with Braque at the beginning of his career until the Vallauris experience there would be nothing more like it in his whole career: with Agard and the Ramiés needed excellent teamwork from the whole workshop staff) Picasso loved the fact that ceramics combined painting and sculpture together: thus he happened to model vases that looked like real sculptures (this is the case a 1947-1948 work preserved at the Musée National Picasso in Paris) Although painting on ceramics was not like painting on an easel: when you paint on canvas or in any case on a support that is already ready It works differently with ceramics: the colors can only be seen when the firing is completed so the correct balance of the preparation (which appears grayish in color) also represented a kind of challenge (and it is also for this reason that the first pieces of Picasso’s ceramic production have a very reduced color range) And the same goes for the speed with which the work needs to be completed and in order to prevent the preparation from drying out too quickly because in this way he could give greater tension and dynamism to the subject depicted (see the Tray with Dove at the MIC in Faenza The artist was very attracted to this meeting of the elements to the fire transforming the earth into an entirely new object “The ancient concept of metamorphosis,” scholar Marilyn McCully has written “is fundamental to understanding Picasso’s attitude toward ceramics: his works keep the two identities alive without the former being completely negated by the latter a plate also becomes a head and a bottle can become a bird She achieves these transformations either by manipulating freshly turned forms as when she folds a clay bottle on itself and then compresses it to give it the shape of a dove or by painting forms that are part of Madoura’s usual production.” This is what happens in the Bottle: kneeling woman made in Vallauris in 1950 Picasso liked to model clay with his hands: “the rarest and most magnificent element of his ceramics are his hands,” said Georges Ramié This fascination with contact with the material one of the reasons why many artists work with ceramics Not least because ceramics is one of the oldest known art forms: for millennia man has been making utensils out of clay and such an ancient and widely used art form also seemed to Picasso suitable for getting contemporary art to a wider audience Picasso began to find his own sources of inspiration in ancient ceramics “Both in form and theme,” says Theil “much of Picasso’s ceramics were deeply influenced by ancient Mediterranean civilizations and many other examples of the universal ceramic heritage.” The artist was inspired by “figurative vases in human or animal form especially votive objects or others used for libations had studied the art of ancient Mediterranean civilizations and when he resided in Paris he did not miss an opportunity to go to the Louvre to study ancient artifacts (mythology "Picasso owned many illustrated books related to ancient art and also used photographic sources including many reproductions of ancient art published in the various issues of famous French art magazines such as Cahiers d’Art Heavily inspired by the red and black figures of ancient Greek vases evoking Arcadian and Dionysian themes this iconography appeared in his paintings after 1945 in modeled sculptures and in the subjects painted on his ceramics." Classical antiquity provided Picasso with a vast repertoire of stories figures with which to make objects over and over again and proposes the red-figure decoration invented in Athens in the sixth century B.C the motifs that animated his paintings or sculptures also return in ceramics partly because Picasso was not accustomed to working in watertight compartments and ceramics were not separate from painting or sculpture production: the Spanish artist’s output should be seen and evaluated as a single whole including fantasies derived from Greco-Roman mythology has numerous points of contact with ceramics especially on a technical level (in a 2015 essay of his own taking as an example the print Al circo: Horsewoman remarked that Picasso had used the aquatint technique by which white figures are obtained by applying a varnish that repairs the plate from the etching process by which the dark parts are blackened after having tried a similar process for a long time in ceramics: in several of his pieces instead of dipping the entire ceramic of the glaze applied the latter with a brush only to certain portions so as to create different areas of appearance and also capable of provoking different sensations to the touch) Returning to the relationship with antiquity in the Vallauris ceramics who was with him between 1943 and 1953 and bore him his two children Paloma and Claude recalled (Marilyn McCully reported this) that Picasso loved Cycladic idols was not only his reminiscences of the Louvre but also the illustrations he found in books published by his friend Christian Zervos an art publisher whom the painter had met during his early years in Paris.Picasso was “keenly aware of the enduring power of ancient forms,” McCully points out “At significant moments in his career Picasso often made vital leaps forward in his artistic development through the exploration of the secrets of primitive art”: and ended up discovering himself “capable of enslaving the magic of ancient art to his own creative power.” One of the most singular fusions of ancient and modern of Picasso’s “magic of ancient art” and “creative power,” is the vase known as The Four Seasons Picasso exploits the flaring typical of the vessels produced by the Madoura manufactory to emphasize and enhance the features of the four women who appear on the surface of the vase working with a technique unknown to ancient Greece a compound used to give coloring to the work Ancient art was not only a source of decorative motifs It has been said that mythology plays an important role in Picasso’s art: therefore many motifs from mythology are also found in ceramics that the function of the repertoire inferred from the stories of ancient Greece changes: if in the 1930s and during World War II mythology in Picasso was a harbinger of disquiet with its violent and brutal charge (think of the figure of the minotaur and its importance in Picasso’s art during the years of the dictatorships) in Vallauris everything is pervaded by an unprecedented joie de vivre the title of one of his famous paintings made in October 1946: with the conflict over and some tormented personal events left behind as well (starting with the death of his mother Maria Picasso López in the large painting now housed at the Musée Picasso in Antibes we witness a joyous dance: a nude nymph (perhaps Françoise Gilot herself) dances with a tambourine in the center of a composition where light following the sound produced by a centaur’s fife on the left and the diáulos played by the faun who closes the group on the right completed by two kids jumping near the woman In the background is the Côte d’Azur sea ploughed by a boat luminous atmosphere reigns; it is a painting that expresses the happiness that had pervaded the artist: the mythological stories are no longer stories of violence but are set in an idyllic Arcadia where everything is festive somewhere between the ancient fable and the colorful triumphs of Matisse’s Le bonheur de vivre dancing girls are the characters that populate Picasso’s paintings in this period “It’s strange,” Picasso asserted or heroes of mythology-I always had the impression that they lived here.” This was not true because in any case Picasso had sometimes drawn fauns and centaurs in Paris but after 1946 these figures took on new meanings which appear frequently in Vallauris’s ceramics (see not to mention animals in any case linked to mythology that return frequently in his production symbolize the artist’s return to life They are the characters that populate the tales of the protagonists of the bucolic poetry of classical antiquity And they become recurring motifs in Picasso’s art of this period also lies in his ability to constantly renew himself The artist also demonstrated this with ceramics which represents a long and important moment in his artistic journey “Picasso,” argues Haro González “was able to assimilate all the particular technical characteristics and stylistic traditions inherent in the ceramic medium while maintaining the ability to redirect them toward new horizons and toward his own way of understanding artistic creation his ceramic production is an inseparable part of his entire oeuvre it is not possible to understand Picasso’s work in a specific discipline but only by considering the artist’s entire oeuvre as an organic and rhizomatic whole in which all elements are closely related.” Haro González says that ceramics a “democratic” goal as the scholar defines it: “Picasso wanted his art to reach the general public and to break away from the exclusive domain of collectors of his art and since ceramic objects were part of everyday life they could help create a closer proximity to modern art.” A modern art capable of rereading the ancient with the urgency of a man and an artist strongly tied to his time who knew how to revive classical art by pouring all his anxieties and feelings into the characters who animated his works The Biennale Internationale de Vallauris – Contemporary creation and ceramics and was founded in 1966 The Vallauris Biennial aims at promoting contemporary creation in the field of ceramics and at reflecting the multiple practices of this art of fire Organized annually by the Town of Vallauris Golfe-Juan this prestigious event also offers a traditional competition designed to encourage and publicize talents 65 artists and 150 works from 14 nationalities to discover from July 2 to October 31 the Biennale Internationale de Vallauris – Création contemporaine et céramique has chosen South Korea as guest of honor today rich of a contemporary artistic expression through creators opening bridges between Far East millennial tradition and West The works by Korean artist Kim Joon invite to take a new look on china with their digital compositions with motifs from Korean artistic tradition and references to Western pop culture www.vallauris-golfe-juan.fr Click on pictures to enlarge – ©DR & YesICannes.com – All rights reserved Please see with the organizers via the link at the end of teh article and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed La 78e édition du prochain Festival de Cannes le Festival de Cannes s'empare de la ville et des tabloïds du monde entier Juliette Binoche présidera le jury du Festival de Cannes 2025 © Copyright 2025. Powered by WordPress Viewport Theme by ThemeZilla The 33rd Fête de la Poterie (Pottery Festival) organized by the city of Vallauris Golfe-Juan on August 14 was the occasion for a huge party celebrating the pottery in all its forms For one day that stretched late into the evening artists and studios showcased their ephemeral creation in a crazy atmosphere punctuated by music and orchestras The day of the Fête de la Poterie was punctuated by numerous events including a solemn mass The smaller could participate in many games such as running boards topped with a pottery they should not drop to expect win the race www.vallauris-golfe-juan.fr Click on pictures to enlarge – ©YesICannes.com – All rights reserved