Chouette (Wood-Owl)

Pablo Picasso, 1969

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About This Work

Created in 1969 during Pablo Picasso’s celebrated late ceramic campaign at the Madoura workshop in Vallauris, 'Chouette (Wood-Owl)' is a captivating and inventive white earthenware ceramic vase measuring 31 by 15 centimeters. The vessel ingeniously leverages the natural contours of a turned pottery form to embody the anatomical features of an owl. A piercing, fierce gaze is established through stark, hypnotic black and white eyes painted across the bulging upper curvature, while incised lines and colored engobes in brown, green, and red articulate plumage, wing motifs, and facial symmetry. The handle and spout integration of the vase cleverly translates into the upright posture and characteristic head shape of the nocturnal bird of prey. Through this masterful fusion of utilitarian pottery and zoomorphic sculpture, Picasso achieves a powerful sense of animated vitality. The tactile interplay of partially brushed glaze over textured earthenware enhances the expressive depth, transforming an ordinary vessel into an engaging, iconic sculptural presence.

The motif of the owl held deep personal and symbolic significance for Pablo Picasso throughout his life, originating from an injured owl he rescued and nursed back to health while living in Antibes in the late 1940s. Throughout his prolific decades in the south of France, the bird reappeared across his paintings, drawings, and ceramics as a wise, nocturnal alter ego representing resilience and mystery. By 1969, when this ceramic edition was conceived and produced at the Madoura pottery workshop under the guidance of Georges and Suzanne Ramié, Picasso had perfected his engagement with clay as a primary sculptural medium. Documented in Alain Ramié’s definitive catalogue raisonné under reference numbers such as A.R. 602, these ceramic editions bridged high modern art with accessible craftsmanship, cementing Picasso's revolutionary impact on post-war pottery. Preserved in major institutional collections including the Musée Picasso Paris and celebrated in international exhibitions, the owl series exemplifies the artist's boundless imagination and his lifelong ability to transform humble domestic objects into enduring mythological icons.

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