Literature

Bloch, Georges. Pablo Picasso: Catalogue de l'Œuvre Gravé et Lithographié, Vol. IV. Bern: Kornfeld & Klipstein, 1968–1979. (Bloch 1290)

Baer 1268

Czwiklitzer 37

Rodrigo 96

Wofsy, Alan, ed. The Complete Linoleum Cuts, 1939–1968. San Francisco: Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, 2012. (L.088)

Orozco, Miguel. Picasso Linocuts: Catalogue Raisonné. No. 399.

Published by

Association des Potiers de Vallauris

Printed by

Arnéra, Vallauris, France

Dimensions

Image: 63.2 x 52.4 cm (24⅞ x 20⅝ in.)

Sheet: 74 x 61.6 cm (29⅛ x 24¼ in.)

Public Collections

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Condition

A fine impression with strong contrasts and fresh colour. Signed in blue crayon by the artist. In very good condition.

Catalogue Note

Created to promote Picasso's 1960 ceramic exhibition in Vallauris, this celebrated linocut poster features one of the artist's most beloved and enduring subjects: the owl. The image depicts "Ubu", the owl that became Picasso's companion after the artist rescued the injured fledgling while living in the South of France with Françoise Gilot. Fascinated by the bird's distinctive appearance and symbolic associations, Picasso returned repeatedly to the owl motif throughout the 1950s and 1960s in paintings, drawings, prints and ceramics.

The work is also an important example of Picasso's revolutionary contribution to the linocut medium. Prior to his experiments in Vallauris, linocut was largely associated with commercial printing and educational use. Working in close collaboration with master printer Hidalgo Arnéra, Picasso transformed the medium into a vehicle for sophisticated artistic expression, developing the reduction-block technique that allowed multiple colours to be printed from a single block.

Rendered with remarkable economy and wit, the owl is reduced to a series of bold graphic forms, its large circular eyes and simplified anatomy creating an image that is simultaneously playful, monumental and instantly recognisable. The restrained palette of black and pale blue enhances the graphic power of the composition while reinforcing its poster-like clarity.

Issued both as an exhibition poster and as a signed edition, Vallauris 1960 Exposition Céramique occupies a unique position within Picasso's graphic oeuvre, combining the immediacy of a public announcement with the artistic significance of an original print. Today it remains one of the most sought-after images from Picasso's celebrated Vallauris period and one of the most iconic representations of his beloved owl, Ubu.