Picasso’s life (1881-1973) was filled with passion — passion for women, children, politics, bullfighting, business, and of course, himself and his art. He revolutionized painting in the 1920s and ‘30s through Cubism and sculpture, and went on to become one of the most revered and prolific artists of the 20th century.    

In 1946, he and a beautiful young painter named Francois Gilot took a house on the Cote d’Azur. The South of France was intoxicating and when the couple visited George and Suzanne Ramie’s Madoura factory in Vallauris, Picasso created his first ceramic pieces.

This notable collection includes Picasso’s famous zoomorphic pots of an owl, fish, bird and bull; the large plate “Corrida”: the picador (1953), a brilliant tribute to bullfighting; and “Woman in a Blue Dress,” a tall vessel that captures the sensual eroticism of large breasts and the thin elongated female neck with a tiny head — pure artistic whimsy.

Wall-sized blow ups of Picasso at his Fournas studio, along with a succinct, beautifully displayed timeline written by Picasso scholar and art historian Marilyn McCully, are highlighted by 40 intimate family photographs and a 75-minute documentary shot in 1955 by French filmmaker Henri-Georges Clouzot. Using ink that bleeds through paper, Clouzot shows us what Picasso is painting, in real time as he is painting it.

Seeing Picasso’s ceramics up close and personal is the only way to appreciate the artist’s craftsmanship and artistic vision. One can see how he was able to join painting, sculpture and clay into timeless art. As the recorded guide points out, until a piece is fired in the kiln, the artist doesn’t know exactly what the finished piece will look like. In this exhibition there are portraits as well as a doubled-faced pitcher and a variety of figurines and plates. The Picasso exhibit runs through January 14, 2008 at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South.