Pablo Picasso’s Chouette aux taches (Owl with Spots), 1951 (A.R. 120), beautifully captures the charm, imagination, and innovation that define the artist’s celebrated ceramic works created at the Madoura workshop in Vallauris. Part sculpture, part functional vessel, this elegant turned vase transforms the familiar form of an owl into a highly expressive and whimsical work of art. Picasso was deeply fascinated by owls throughout the 1950s, often keeping them in his studio and incorporating them into his art as symbols of wisdom, mystery, and quiet introspection. In this example, the spotted plumage, hand-painted oxide decoration, and softly sculpted contours give the owl a remarkable sense of personality and presence, as if it were standing directly before the viewer. What makes Chouette aux taches especially compelling is Picasso’s ability to merge ancient Mediterranean ceramic traditions with his radically modern visual language, creating a work that feels both timeless and unmistakably his own. The piece reveals new details and expressions from every angle, making it a work that is truly best experienced in person, where its full three-dimensional beauty and sculptural sophistication can be fully appreciated. Today, Picasso owl ceramics remain among the most sought-after works from his ceramic oeuvre, admired for their rarity, historical importance, and deeply personal connection to the artist’s life and symbolism.

Created in 1951, this white earthenware clay turned vase with decoration in oxides (brown, black) on white enamel is from the edition of 300. This work is stamped with the 'MADOURA PLEIN FEU' and 'EDITION PICASSO' pottery stamps on the underside.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
This work is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices accompanying the final sale of the work):

1. Ramié, Alain. Picasso Catalogue of the edited ceramic works 1947-1971. Madoura: Galerie Madoura, 1988. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 120.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.