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Produced in 1948, and in the same spirit as many of the pieces housed in the Musée Picasso in Antibes, the famous Service Visages Noirs was executed in an edition of only 100 copies. It is rarely seen as a complete service, such as the one presented here. It was sold as such to some of the most privileged clients but more often by plate or dish, to allow people to acquire just a portion.
This elegant and fresh work invites us to share in the joie de vivre that became one of Picasso's favorite subjects. To the point of using it as a title for one of his most famous works dating from 1946, which is also housed in the Musée d'Antibes, he lived this privileged moment to the full that merges the joy of creation and the encapsulating feeling of family bliss. This happiness was for the artist, following the difficult years of the War, a fact of life; simple moments experienced in Golfe-Juan at the edge of the Mediterranean, with its happy and fruitful influence that inspired him so much. During this time he was sharing his life with Françoise Gilot and their children, Claude and Paloma, who were born respectively in 1947 and 1949.
The deliberate choice to decorate the service with the mischievous and playful motif of fauns' heads is emblematic of Picasso's fiery and irrational desire - of a Dionysian sort - to aspire to simple joys and to live intensely. Through this work, and the material that composes it - ceramics, and its deliberate utility - the artist reveals the importance of an act essential in his eyes and at the heart of his life: sharing a family meal.
The service presented here is also remarkable for the quality of its material. The process of firing in a wood furnace persisted until 1953 in the Madoura atelier. Due to the irregularity of this process they did not always achieve the desired shade of deep green, almost emerald, found here. In this example the whole is coherent and consistent. Through observing this work we are able to share in the joie de vivre so dear to Pablo Picasso.
- Yves Peltier
PROPERTY FROM A DISTINGUISHED FRENCH PRIVATE COLLECTION
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Service visage noir (a series of 13)
Details
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Service visage noir (a series of 13)
stamped and marked 'Edition Picasso/D'Après Picasso/Madoura Plein Feu' (underneath)
13 fully glazed ceramic plates
one: 16 5/8in. (42.2cm.) diameter
twelve: 9¼ - 9½in. (23.5 - 24.1cm.) diameter
Conceived in 1948 and executed in an edition of 100 (13)
Service visage noir (a series of 13)
stamped and marked 'Edition Picasso/D'Après Picasso/Madoura Plein Feu' (underneath)
13 fully glazed ceramic plates
one: 16 5/8in. (42.2cm.) diameter
twelve: 9¼ - 9½in. (23.5 - 24.1cm.) diameter
Conceived in 1948 and executed in an edition of 100 (13)
Literature
A. Ramié no.35-47 (other versions illustrated pp.36-39)
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