Influences of Picasso

March 2015

The French town Vallauris, not far from Cannes, is known for the peace temple created there by artist Pablo Picasso. Picasso worked there for years and encouraged other artists to visit. Not surprisingly, since the fifties, artisan ceramists came together here in the summer. Thanks to and under the guidance of their great inspirator Picasso, they made various types of painted pottery. And among these even some ceramic tobacco pipes. An example is this pipe made of slip cast clay by the artist Marcel Giraud. We know his name because he signed his products on the stem with Gem or Gema. Obviously in Picasso's style, Giraud created a figural pipe shaped like a fish, with the snout in relief on the front of the pipe bowl and the tail forming a sort of heel. Another characteristic is the painting in white enamel, which, after frequent smoking, contrasts beautifully with the dark-coloured background. Mounting with an cherry wood stem and a caoutchouc mouthpiece completes the object. As a sunny tourist town, Vallauris attracted many visitors during the summer who found a wide selection of handicraft items. This pipe was sold this way. Unlike the dishes by Picasso, these tobacco pipes do not yet represent a towering value. After all, in this case the artist is not world famous. Yet this pipe certainly radiates the ceramic intention of Picasso and is therefore an interesting phenomenon of its time.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 22.010

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