Descripción
This new version of the original poster has not been reproduced on any other posters.
In 1952, Picasso was living in a hideous villa called “La Galloise” in Vallauris. During this period, he devoted much of his time to painting “War and Peace” for the chapel at Vallauris, making numerous preliminary studies. This feverish activity slowed down towards the end of the year, as he was affected by his tense relationship with Françoise Gilot and by the death of his close friend Paul Eluard, the poet, on 18 November.
These circumstances may also have led him to use the same poster for the Paris Exhibition that he had designed and used for the Vallauris Potters’ Community, something that went completely against his custom and which is further proof of the difficult situation he found himself in.
The master demonstrated on several occasions the affection he felt for Vallauris (of which he was made an Honorary Citizen in 1951) and for the Maison de la Pensieve Française. He donated one of his masterpieces to the Vallauris Potters’ Community, the ‘Man with the Lamb’ which he had made in 1943 and which is considered one of his best works. He donated several pieces, including prints and posters, to the Maison de la Pensieve Française, to be sold and raise funds for his extraordinary peace efforts. The Maison is where Picasso held his first exhibition of ceramics, among other activities, and his largest exhibition of sculptures and drawings, in 1951.
