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Affordable Picassos
Finally after 14 years the blue ribband of
art records has been broken. Last
Wednesday night, Sotheby's in New York
sold Picasso's Garcon a la Pipe for
$104,168,000 - the highest price ever paid
for a painting at auction, and the first
painting to break the $100 million
threshold.
The record-breaking Picasso formed part
of one of the greatest private art
collections in the world - that of Mr and
Mrs John Hay Whitney. The paintings they
purchased during the last century include
some of the most recognisable
masterpieces, such as Vincent Van Gogh's
Self Portrait and Henri Matisse's Open
Window, Collioure, now on display in
museums throughout the world. Whitney was
a member of that frighteningly wealthy
elite who could buy anything they
wanted.
But you don't have to be a founding
partner of Google to pick up your own
Picasso. Ceramics by the artist can be
bought for as little as £600 to
£800.
Like his prints, Picasso ceramics were
made in multiples - exact replicas - and
are therefore much more affordable. The
more limited the edition, the more
desirable and expensive the piece.
The ceramics were all produced at the
Madoura pottery run by the Ramie family in
Vallauris in the south of France. Picasso
first visited the pottery in 1946 and
returned every year, making more than
3,500 plates, vases, pitchers and other
forms - hundreds of which were turned into
edition pieces. Edition Picasso ceramics
were made in multiples of 25 to 500.
Condition is an over-riding factor. A
good collector won't look twice at a vase
with a chipped rim or a jug with a
repaired handle. Also, beware of the
fakes. Each Picasso ceramic will be
stamped and marked by the Madoura pottery,
but there are plenty of forged works with
fake marks. It's only by examining and
handling genuine pieces that you'll be
able to judge whether a piece is fake or
not.
One of the best places to scrutinise
and handle Picasso ceramics is at an
auction viewing. Sotheby's saleroom at
Olympia in west London will have a number
of examples going under the hammer this
October. It is easy to make an appointment
with one of the specialists and spend some
time getting a feel for these quirky and
colourful collectables.
Subject matter also affects price.
Pieces decorated with images one typically
associates with Picasso, such as the bull
or the fish, tend to prove popular with
collectors. Likewise, the first few
examples of an edition which he may have
made himself and which will often be hand
signed will have an added premium.
The definitive book on Picasso ceramics
is the Ramie Catalogue Raisonne, but it's
not available in English. If the
purse-strings won't let you enter into the
Picasso market by buying a painting worth
more than $83,000 per square inch, his
ceramics will allow you to sneak into this
exclusive club through the back door.
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