How did Picasso discover pottery? And how did he transform the fortunes of an ancient town in the process?  Join Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene to discuss Picasso’s life in the South of France just after the Second World War where he found a new and exciting creative outlet bringing together painting and sculpture and in doing so transformed the history of art.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

Guernica, 1937 by Pablo Picasso

Head Plate, 1957 by Pablo Picasso

"Tete au Masque" Plate, 1956 by Pablo Picasso

Owl Pitcher, 1957 by Pablo Picasso

Three Sardines, 1947 by Pablo Picasso

Bull In The Arena, 1948 by Pablo Picasso

Vase with Two High Handles, The Queen, 1953 by Pablo Picasso

To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/thehistoryofceramics or visit the HENI Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene

Additional Research: Catherine Ingram

Editor: Alessandro Ruocco

Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

• 00:00:00 Introduction: Picasso the Potter
• 00:00:53 The Dark Years: Picasso During World War II
• 00:05:27 Discovering Vallauris: A Holiday That Changed Everything
• 00:07:41 The Madoura Pottery and First Experiments
• 00:11:23 Working with Clay: Technique and Collaboration
• 00:14:04 Picasso's Ceramic Vocabulary
• 00:22:11 Domestic Life and the South of France
• 00:28:10 Jacqueline Roque and New Beginnings
• 00:31:42 Revitalizing Vallauris: Community and Legacy
• 00:34:29 What Picasso Did for Ceramics

Who created the Mona Lisa of American Ceramics? And how was it stolen from under the noses of museum guards? In this episode Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene travel to the American Gilded Age at the end of the 19th C to discuss the life and work of Adelaide Alsop Robineau, the pioneering potter who fought to make her own work her own way, and went on to win the top prize at the prestigious World’s Fair, putting American ceramics on the map.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

Cup with beetles, 1901 by Adelaide Alsop Robineau

Courtesy of The Met Collection

Vase (Crystalline)1910 by Adelaide Alsop Robineau

Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art

Staff of the University City Pottery and Art Institute, 1910

Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art Archives

Scarab Vase, 1910 by Adelaide Alsop Robineau

Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art

Cinerary Urn, Circa 1929 by Adelaide Alsop Robineau

Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art

Stolen Art Alert Poster

International Foundation for Art Research

Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art Archives

To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/thehistoryofceramics or visit the HENITalks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene

Additional Research: Catherine Ingram

Editor: Alessandro Ruocco

Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

• 00:00:00 Introduction: Adelaide Alsop Robineau and the Scarab Vase
• 00:01:37 America's Gilded Age and the Rise of Art Pottery
• 00:03:10 Adelaide's Early Life
• 00:04:56 China Painting: A Technical Note
• 00:07:20 Meeting Samuel Robineau and Starting Keramic Studio Magazine
• 00:09:25 Syracuse: A Hub of the Arts and Crafts Movement
• 00:11:37 The Magazine Empire and Teaching Women
• 00:16:47 The Radical Switch from China Painting to Porcelain
• 00:21:50 Learning from Taxile Doat: Porcelain Secrets Revealed
• 00:25:10 Mastering Crystalline Glazes
• 00:29:30 The First Female Studio Potter Working in Porcelain
• 00:30:19 University City and the Dream Team of Potters
• 00:32:58 Creating the Scarab Vase: 1000 Hours of Carving
• 00:38:38 Catastrophic Cracks and Miraculous Repair
• 00:41:35 The Grand Prix at Turin 1911
• 00:43:30 Return to Syracuse and Teaching Legacy
• 00:45:02 Final Years and the Funerary Urn
• 00:49:08 The Great Scarab Vase Heist of 1989
• 00:52:27 Recovery: David Rago and the Polaroid Evidence
• 00:56:15 Adelaide's Legacy: Never Lacking in Self-Confidence

What was the first piece of pottery that humans ever made?  What does it reveal about our earliest ancestors?  In this episode Paul Greenhalgh and Stephanie Rozene travel back to the earliest civilisations to find out how they created the very first ceramic objects and what that meant to the story of mankind.

Ceramics and artwork in this week’s episode include:

Venus of Dolní Věstonice, 29,000—25,000 BC

Vestonicka venuse edit by Petr Novák, Wikipedia

Source - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vestonicka_venuse_edit.jpg

For the full legal code, see the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/legalcode.en

Vestonicka venuse back by Petr Novák, Wikipedia

Source - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vestonicka_venuse_back.jpg

For the full legal code, see the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/legalcode.en

Fire-Flame Cooking Vessel, 2750—2500 BC

Deep Vessel with Decorative Handles, 3500—2500 BC

Met Museum

Bell Beaker, 2475–1800 BC

Bell Beaker Rijksmuseum of Oudheden by Gary Todd

Source - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bell_Beaker_Rijksmuseum_of_Oudheden.jpg

For the full legal code, see the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Unported https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

To see images of the artworks in this episode go to heni.com/thehistoryofceramics or visit the HENI Talks YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@HENITalks

Hosts: Paul Greenhalgh & Stephanie Rozene

Additional Research: Catherine Ingram

Editor: Alessandro Ruocco

Executive Producer: Emma Cahusac

• 00:00:00 Introduction: How Ceramics Changed History
• 00:02:13 Clay vs Ceramic
• 00:04:50 The Oldest Writing About Potters
• 00:06:58 The Venus of Dolni Vestonice: The First Ceramic Object
• 00:12:41 How Early Societies Discovered Ceramic Technology
• 00:15:32 The First Pots: From China to Japan
• 00:17:58 The Jomon People
• 00:19:24 Jomon Pots: Decoration, Function, and Meaning
• 00:25:01 Fire, Food, and Transformation
• 00:25:57 Nomadic Potters
• 00:32:00 Pottery as Archaeological Evidence
• 00:33:12 The Bell Beaker People of Britain
• 00:35:25 Ceramics as a Mark of Civilization
• 00:37:21 An Ancient Technology Still in Use Today

The History of Ceramics brings together British art historian & curator Paul Greenhalgh and U.S. maker and academic Stephanie Rozene as they reveal the most compelling and often surprising stories from this often-overlooked corner of art history.  Travelling around the world and through time, from the very first shards that shed light on early civilizations, to stories of power, political intrigue and espionage.  Famous artists, extraordinary characters, pioneers and rebels from the world of pottery, architecture and design who have all played a role in elevating ceramics to the heart of the art world but also into the homes and lives enthusiasts right around the globe.  Full of revelation, insight and practical expertise, The History of Ceramics offers an alternative history to our times.