Picasso’s fascination with ceramics began in July 1946 while vacationing in Golfe-Juan, when he visited the “Pots, Flowers, and Perfumes” exhibition in Vallauris, a town with a pottery tradition dating back to Roman times. There, he met Suzanne and Georges Ramié, owners of the Madoura workshop, who invited him to work with clay. Captivated, Picasso immediately created an owl and a female figure — his first ceramic works. This marked a turning point: in 1947, he began working regularly at Madoura, and in 1948, he moved to Vallauris with his family. Clay reminded him of rustic Spanish pottery from his homeland, as well as the works of Gauguin and Durrio. Yet, Picasso reimagined the craft, eschewing the potter’swheel for hand-modeling, plaster molds, and raw clay patterns. He called firing “alchemy,” an unpredictable process where glazes and slips produced unique effects, and he embraced cracks as part of the art. This 1956 ceramic plate reflects his style: bold black outlines on a white background create dramatic contrast, with large eyes, a sharp nose, and a minimalist mouth, typical of his 1950s “mask” works. For Picasso, it was both art and utility: “I made plates you can eat from.”