A SEVEN QUESTION INTERVIEW ON PICASSO’S EDITIONED CERAMICS WITH ANNEGRETH NILL
Annegreth T. Nill is chief curator of the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale and curator of the Pablo Picasso Ceramics / Carlos Luna Paintings exhibition.
 Q: Why are the editioned ceramics by Spanish modernist Pablo Picasso being paired with the paintings of Cuban artist Carlos Luna in this exhibition?
A: We felt that there was a certain resonance between their works that was worth exploring in an exhibition. Showing the works of two artists simultaneously opens up a dialogue, a conversation, in this case between one of the most innovative artists of the twentieth century and a very talented young artist who is inspired by Picasso’s strategies of transforming the art of the past and who draws on many of the same sources as the master. We hope that this pairing will stimulate looking, thinking and discussion, and will lead to some unexpected discoveries.
Q: Can you please explain what editioned ceramics are?
A: The idea of editioned ceramics is very much like that of print editions where a controlled number of copies or replicas are made from an authentic prototype. In both cases the individual works are either signed or stamped and numbered--the number in the series preceding the total number of prints/objects produced. While Picasso created many unique ceramic works at the Madoura Pottery in Vallauris, France--most of which remained in Picasso’s and his family’s possession --he firmly believed in sharing his artistic vision more widely by creating editioned ceramics — affordable objects of first rate artistic integrity.
 Q: What comparisons can visitors draw from the ceramics of Picasso, one of the greatest artists of all time, with the paintings of Luna, an exceptionally talented Cuban artist?
A: Pablo Picasso’s ceramics and Carlos Luna’s paintings share common themes that are based on life, on personal experience and that are sometimes steeped in mythology or popular culture. Both artists see sex as a generative, creative force and while the female is always represented by a beautiful woman, the male protagonists are not only represented by male figures, but by such powerful male symbols as the rooster and the bull. Another element visitors should note is the prominence of eyes. The eyes in Picasso’s work, but especially the disembodied eyes in Luna’s work, appear to look back at us as if to put us under their spell.
Q: Tell us about the 50 Picasso ceramics that are in the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale's permanent collection and now on view in the exhibition.
A: Carlos Luna selected fifty of the sixty-six Picasso ceramics in the Museum’s collection for this exhibition. He chose vases, pitchers, plaques, dishes, and platters that resonated with his own work. The subject matter of the painted or imprinted decorations on the ceramics ranges largely from animals such as bulls and birds to representations of male and female heads, many of which appear to be portraits of Jacqueline Roquet, Picasso’s last companion, and self portraits of the artist in which he deals with aging. There are a few multi-figured scenes showing dancers, bull fighting scenes, and what appears to be an encounter between Don Quixote and Dulcinea. The editioned ceramics are true works of art through which Picasso communicates his world view and life spirit.
 Q: How and why did Bernie Bercuson, a Miami Beach hotelier, acquire and then donate the Picasso ceramics to the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale?
A: Bernie Bercuson came to vacation in South Florida in 1937 and never left. He owned, or co-owned at various times the Ocean Grande, the Sherry-Frontenac, the Versailles, the Cadillac, Del Rey and the Singapore, among others.
In the 1970s, Mr. Bercuson began to make “art buying trips” to Europe and Canada. He first encountered Picasso ceramics on a trip to the south of France where the Madoura factory was located that produced the ceramics with the help of craftsmen who worked under the strict supervision of the factory owners, the Ramiés, and Picasso himself. Besides purchasing directly from the factory, Mr. Bercuson, who became an expert on Picasso ceramics, probably assembled the 130-piece collection through purchases from galleries and auction houses. The collection covers the period 1947 to 1971, the entire period of Picasso’s involvement with the medium. In the early 1990s, he donated most of the collection to the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale and to the University of Miami’s Lowe Art Museum.
Q: In 1947, Picasso began working in clay and produced over 4,000 pieces of ceramics by 1971. What reception did his ceramics receive given that pottery was considered a craft and Picasso, the inventor of Cubism, was the most renowned artist at the time?
A: Some of the mainstream critics were very distraught by the fact that this innovative painter who began with the blue and the rose periods, invented Cubism, and painted Guernica ended up making “pots.” They were saddened by Picasso’s new endeavor, since “pots” could hardly be called art and were not of lasting quality. One critic, however, reviewing Picasso’s first ceramic exhibition, wrote in the prestigious paper Le Monde in 1948 that “Picasso had never furnished greater proof of his artistic genius than in the field of ceramics.” He called Picasso a great creator who was tirelessly seeking new forms and techniques. By working in ceramics, Picasso, along with other classic modernists such as George Braque, Joan Miro, Fernand Leger, and Marc Chagall, turned clay from a craft medium into an art medium.
 Q: Carlos Luna, like Picasso, created works in ceramics of which a few representative pieces will be included in this exhibition. How did he get involved in the medium?
A: The easiest answer is that the opportunity presented itself. Puebla, Mexico, like Vallauris, France, has a long involvement with pottery due to the availability of high quality clay. But while Vallauris has been producing pottery since Roman times, Puebla’s association with the medium was “imported” from Talavera, Spain, shortly after the founding of the colonial city in 1531. So when Carlos Luna established himself in Puebla, his wife’s native city, artist José Luis Cuevas suggested to Uriarte Talavera that Luna be invited to participate. Luna created about eighty unique ceramic works by painting his signature images on Uriarte’s traditional plates, platters, and jars. We are including eight works done between 1995 and 2001 that show Luna’s versatility in adapting the rooster, the airplane, the guajiro, and other images to a three dimensional surface with stunning results.
Reproduction, including downloading of Picasso works is prohibited by copyright laws and international conventions without the express written permission of Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
A SEVEN QUESTION INTERVIEW WITH
CARLOS LUNA
 Carlos Luna, the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale’s 2008-2009 Artist in Residence, has created work that is strongly influenced by his Cuban roots. Born in Cuba’s westernmost province, Pinar del Rio, Luna began his formal art education at the School of Visual Arts and went on to Havana’s prestigious Academia de San Alejandro, the National School of the Arts, and the Visual Arts College. In 1991, Luna went into exile in Mexico, where he met his wife, Claudia Ramirez.
In 2003 Luna, his wife, and their three children settled in Miami, a move that has brought the artist closer to fellow Cuban exiles.
Luna, 39, conducted this interview with the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale prior to the opening of the landmark exhibition that pairs his bold paintings with the editioned ceramics of Spanish modernist Pablo Picasso.
The exhibition, Pablo PICASSO Ceramics/Carlos LUNA Paintings, is on view at the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale Thursday, October 2, 2008 through Monday, February 23, 2009.
Q: What is your initial reaction to having your paintings and drawings exhibited alongside Pablo Picasso ceramics?
A: Astounded. It brings back an odd memory of when I was 11 years old in Cuba, studying art, winning art competitions, and dreaming one day of becoming an artist. There was a family friend who encouraged my dreams and said that one day my art work would be in a museum side by side with that of Picasso’s. I thought she was just being nice, but destiny is eerily making her compliments a reality. And not that long ago, it dawned on me that this might be, as far as I know, the first time a Cuban artist in exile is being exhibited alongside Picasso ceramics. The thought that the imagery in his ceramics and the imagery found in my paintings are being paired in an exhibition for comparison makes me feel very honored, yet humbled. I had first learned about Picasso ceramics in 1996, after reading several art books. I later saw them in a Museum in Mexico, and later in Miami.
 Q: You left Cuba for good in 1991. How difficult was leaving your country, knowing that you could never return again?
A: I left Cuba for good on December 4, 1991. It was difficult knowing that I may never see my family again. I was barely 21 years old! But I knew that I could never grow as an artist if I remained in Cuba. During my time in Cuba, there was no freedom of speech and I think that continues through today. My work has matured and has been enriched with migration - first to Mexico, and then to the United States.
Q: What would have happened to you in Cuba had you done a work such as “1,2,3, Se Acabo tu Conteo’’[ “1-2- 3 -- Your Countdown is Over’’] that shows a campesino knocking out, and apparently killing, a bearded dictator?
A: My career as an artist would have ended. I would have been put in jail or executed. Ironically, I did that piece on commission in 2006, and shortly after its completion the Cuban government announced that Fidel Castro was transferring his powers to his younger brother, Raul. I think the work expresses the feelings of the Cuban exile community.
Q: Tell us about your style and your artistic inspirations?
A: My style is inspired by numerous religious images and objects that my grandmother in Cuba kept privately in her home and that attracted me. Country life and everyday life around me during my childhood were powerful influences that continue to affect my work. It is from these experiences that some of my characters like the guajiro (country dweller with hat and mustache), alligators and roosters appear in my work. My father suffered from a kind of schizophrenia, and I remember from my childhood, he would draw on the walls of his bedroom near his bed. This was something that apparently he needed to do to relieve his anguish. He would create these odd, brilliant, primitive illustrations. This was my first encounter with the act of visual expression. I started to draw when I was in kindergarten. A teacher there expressed to my family that I had a talent that was worthy of encouragement. As a student I was inspired by masters such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. I studied Impressionism, Realism; the Gothic and Romantic periods.
 Q: And what about contemporary art?
A: It wasn’t till I arrived in Mexico that I was able to have direct contact, if you will, with contemporary art. Some of the other artists I came to admire include Rufino Tamayo, Jose Guadalupe Posada, Francisco Toledo, the [Mexican] muralists, and Picasso.
Q: How did that evolution as an artist continue when you moved to Miami?
A: I have had the opportunity to develop my work in a nation that protects the individual, his creations, and an artist’s freedom to create. In Miami, my work has been enriched as I have been able to connect with my childhood roots. Miami is a natural home for Cubans.
Q: What is your philosophical view of art and its purpose?
A: Art should not be threatening, but enlightening. Art speaks about our experiences and it is an incredible and powerful way to educate and it invites us to live together and to learn more about ourselves and others. Art is a universal language that goes beyond time and style. Every culture and every nation produces art. Exploring museums with my children is a great gift that I can give them as a parent. They are able to explore other cultures and react to visual images. As a parent, seeing my children react to, be entertained by, and learn about themselves through art completes me as an artist.
Reproduction, including downloading of Picasso works is prohibited by copyright laws and international conventions without the express written permission of Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
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