PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
Oursin (A.R. 268)
dated '31.3.55.' (in reverse; to the interior); stamped, marked and numbered 'EMPREINTE ORIGINALE DE PICASSO/K.116 / 68 / 150' (underneath)
white earthenware ceramic bowl with colored engobe and glaze
diameter: 7 inches (17.8 cm)
Conceived on 31 March 1955. This work is number 68 from an edition of 150.

NOTES:

Born from Picasso’s years at the Madoura Ceramics Studio in southern France, Oursin (A.R. 268)  channels the textures, forms, and rhythms of the Mediterranean coast. The piece evokes a sea urchin’s organic geometry, spiny and ancient, reflecting the marine life and coastal detritus that surrounded him during his time by the sea. Rendered here in tactile form, Oursin (A.R. 268)  doesn’t quite portray the sea creature literally; instead, it captures its essence: vulnerable and resilient — all embodied in the twisted ridges and dynamic form of the ceramic. This ceramic sculpture transforms earth-born clay into a symbolic vessel of the sea collapsing the boundary between domestic object and natural artifact.