Beschreibung:

Pablo Picasso Visage de faune (Faun's Face) 1956 Silver plate, 9 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. (25.1 x 25.1 cm) impressed signature and numbered 11/20 on the reverse (there were also 2 artist's proofs and 2 author's proofs), produced by Atelier François and Pierre Hugo, Aix-en-Provence, circa 1980 (with their maker's mark on the reverse).
Literature Douglas Cooper, Picasso, 19 plats en argent par François et Pierre Hugo, Paris, 1977 (another example illustrated) see Alain Raimé 282-3 (earthenware versions) Catalogue Essay Picasso was already years into his exploration of ceramic objects when he had an inspired discussion with a friend in the mid-1950s about these ceramics and how they related to precious metal plates by artists in the 16th and 17th century in Venice, France and Augsburg. This led to an introduction to the accomplished silversmith François Victor Hugo who Picasso commissioned to create a series of platters, dishes and medallions in gold and silver after original designs by Picasso. The artist explored the process for years, eventually creating several plate versions in small editions of 15 to 20 examples each due to the painstaking process of fabrication. The metal had to be heated and reheated while being hammered into a wax matrix, specifically created for each design. Picasso was encouraged by the results and continued to make other medallions and objects in collaboration with the Hugo studio including with François' son Pierre. Read More Artist Bio Pablo Picasso Spanish • 1881 - 1973 Regarded as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, Pablo Picasso is known for his pioneering involvement in the development of Modernism and co-founding of the Cubist movement. He tirelessly investigated forms of expression with his pictorial vocabulary ranging from vivid naturalism to distorted abstraction, and his prolific output included painting, prints, drawings, ceramics and theatre sets. Endlessly curious, Picasso continually sought innovative creative avenues, experimenting with age-old printmaking processes (etching, lithography, linocut), each of which offered a distinct expressive opportunity of line, tone and mark-making. These graphic techniques, combined with Picasso's idiosyncratic motifs — mythological creatures, Spanish bullfighting scenes and portraits of lovers — resulted in an unparalleled body of printed works that could range from the spontaneously lyrical to the allegorically complex. View More Works