Pablo Picasso – Still-Life with a Bunch of Grapes and Scissors (1948)

Louisiana poster with the work, Still-Life with a Bunch of Grapes and Scissors (1948), by the Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). The poster was printed in conjunction with the major exhibition, Picasso Ceramics, at Louisiana in the spring of 2018, which marked the beginning of Louisiana's 60th anniversary year.

Louisiana has shown exhibitions of Picasso's paintings, drawings and graphic works several times over time and the museum also has several works by the master in the collection. When it comes to a special focus on Picasso's ceramic production, the museum's exhibition in 2018 was the first major one of its kind in Scandinavia, with 160 works from the years 1947-64.

In the summer of 1946, Picasso stayed in Golfe-Juan in the South of France. Together with a friend, he went to a ceramics exhibition in Vallauris, an area known for its many ceramic workshops. That experience became a turning point and Picasso's curiosity and interest in ceramic objects was awakened.

Inspiration for his still life came not least from local markets and beaches and also referred to an old Spanish tradition where bunches of grapes, figs or other edibles are applied to plates (platos de engaño).

Already in 1948, Picasso got a permanent place in the Madoura workshop in Vallauris and decided to move his home to the South of France. The luminous, Mediterranean nature that defined his art in these years is also reflected in the ceramic works.

In the South of France, Picasso—alongside his paintings, drawings, sculptures and graphic works—produced approx. 4000 ceramic objects. Some are painting and processing of plates, jugs and dishes that had already been put into production.