FEATURES ARCHIVE

Your area of expertise is Modern British Pictures. How have you come to be involved in this sale?
My colleague, Deborah Allan, Head of Impressionist & Modern Art at South Kensington is on maternity leave and so I am covering the Impressionist & Modern sales, visiting clients and carrying out valuations in her absence. This is the same period that I work with in 20th Century British Art but it is exciting to handle works by artists who directly influenced and inspired many of their British contemporaries.

Working with something different is almost as exciting as buying something different. What would you say to a client who has never bought ‘a Picasso’ before and is interested in this sale?
This is a fantastic opportunity to buy a work by the greatest artist of the 20th Century. Most of the pieces, be it a ceramic, print or tapestry are instantly recognizable, featuring his iconic imagery of faces, animals and bull fights.

Picasso was inspired to create ceramics after seeing the works of Madoura potters at a crafts fair in 1946. Is this versatility a rarity among artists?
Picasso is not unique in his desire to experiment with different mediums, however the veracious energy and single mindedness that he displayed as he explored a different medium’s potential is certainly exceptional.

Do you have a favorite work in the sale?
An absolute favorite would be impossible to choose but I love the ceramic plate. Trois Sardine (Lot 92). Although a simple piece it has all the playful wit that you would expect from a Picasso and it expresses the great fun that he must have had conceiving, executing and overseeing the production of these works. In fact if you ever find yourself in Antibes do visit the Musée Picasso which has a great collection of unique pieces which are similar to this one.

Picasso himself said that he wanted people to buy works from his Madoura workshop and have change in their pockets…Whilst that might not be a reality today, you must agree that these pieces represent excellent value for money?
Your pockets may have to be a little deeper today but with estimates starting at a mere £100 I still think that they represent incredible value for money.

So, you would use these ceramics?
Well we actually have the Service Poissons in the sale (Lots 54–79) that contains bowls, plates and a beautiful soup tureen that could conceivably be used, however with many pieces being semi glazed I would recommend caution and certainly wouldn’t advise putting any of the ceramics in the dishwasher!