Picasso Ceramics: Art of MITATE

Exhibition title：Picasso Ceramics: Art of MITATE

Supervision of the Exhibition：Yasujiro Otaka, Professor Emeritas, Waseda University

Guest Curator：Yo Shouji, Curator, Pola Museum of Art

Venue, Organizer：YOKU MOKU MUSEUM

Exhibition period：Tuesday, October 29, 2024 – Sunday December 28, 2025

Closed：Mondays (or if a holiday falls on a Monday, the following Tuesday), year-end and New Year’s holiday period, and exhibition-installation perio

Opening hours：10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last admission 30 minutes prior to closing time)

Nominal support：Minato City board of education

Supported by：Embassy of Spain in Japan/Instituto Cervantes Tokio

Special Cooperation：YOKU MOKU Co., ltd.

Admission Fee (tax included)

Ordinary ticket ¥1,200
Students ¥800
Elementary-school students and younger children Free
※If a visitor presents a disabled person’s identification card, he or she, along with one
accompanying guest, may enter free of charge.

Exhibition Overview

This exhibition examines Picasso’s repurposing of form in his ceramics and assemblage sculptures at his Le Fournas studio from the perspective of the Japanese concept of mitate. Viewing his playful paintings of birds, faces, and bullrings on traditional forms such as plates, vases, and pitchers in light of mitate illuminates the creative process of Picasso’s postwar period ceramics.

Titles of the Chapters

Ⅰ.Imparting Life

Little Wood-owl,A.R.82,1949
Thrown white earthenware, decorated with slips, glazed interior
H.13 W.15 D.12

 

Ruffled Owl,A.R.292,1955
Thrown white earthenware, decorated with slips, incised, material added
H.29 W.15.5 D.14

Ⅱ.Bullring in the palm of a Hand

Corrida with Figures,A.R.104,June 11,1950
Empreinte originale, white earthenware, decorated with slips, transparent glaze
4 × 33.2 （ diam.）

Ⅲ.Mitate as Tautology

Hands with Fish,A.R.214,1953
Empreinte originale, red earthenware, decorated with slips, incised, partial transparent glaze
H.5.2 W.30 D.30

Ⅳ.Plates as Faces

Head of Pan,unique,October 11,1947
White earthenware, with coloured slips, transparent glaze, Unique piece
H.3.5 W.32.2 D.38

Woman’s Face,A.R.192,July 7,1953
Thrown white earthenware, decorated with slips, incised, partial transparent glaze
H.34.7 W.34.5 D.20.5

Large vase with dancers,A.R. 114,1950
Empreinte originale pink earthenware, incised,decorated with slip
H.70.5 W.33 D.33
©2024-Succession Pablo Picasso-BCF(JAPAN)