Demand for Picasso ceramics at Sotheby’s

This week’s Sotheby’s sale of Picasso ceramics in London saw collectors driving the total price for ‘Important Picasso Ceramics’ to almost double their pre-sale expectations.

Sotheby’s said the auction raised £2,201,250, with 98% of the lots sold and around a third of buyers new to the auction house.

The sale was led by Tripode, a large terre de faïence vase from 1951, numbered 47/75, which sold to a private collector for £191,000, more than twice its pre-sale estimate of £80,000-£120,000. The piece was followed by Gros oiseau Picasso another large terre de faïence vase from 1953, numbered 35/75, which realised £106,250.

Estimates for the works on offer ranged from £800 to £80,000.

Lucy Rosenburgh, Sotheby’s Picasso ceramics specialist, commented: “These results demonstrate the enormous appeal of Picasso’s ceramics. Collectors can envisage easily fitting these pieces in their homes and living with them – something Picasso would have delighted in when he decided to produce his editions”

She continued, “Over the past five years, London has proved to be the focal point of this market. This growth has coincided with a renewed academic interest in this extraordinarily innovative body of work, created by Picasso with the same passion as his paintings, sculptures and prints.”