Artnet’s news service discovers the long-standing trend in Picasso’s ceramics. For the sake of the broader art market, it would be gratifying to see the Picasso Ceramics as an alternative to the very high prices in his painting and sculpture market that brings in a different set of collectors. Alas, that doesn’t seem to be the case:

“It is the most important masterpiece collectors in modern and contemporary art who are driving the higher prices you see,” Michelle McMullan, head of sales for Impressionist and modern art at Christie’s, told artnet News over email. “So many of the important collections we see now have ceramics. Someone who is into 1960s Picasso paintings will pair it with a few ceramics [the artist] made on the same day, even.” […]

The buoyancy of Picasso’s ceramics market is partly attributable to the broad global profile of interested buyers, though they tend to be concentrated in the US and Western Europe. The versatility of the objects accentuates their broad appeal. “Collectors of Picasso ceramics are not necessarily collectors of Picasso prints or paintings, but they do tend to be aesthetically oriented and collectors of some sort,” said Lucy Rosenburgh, a specialist in prints and multiples at Sotheby’s London, who says she’s seen beautiful collections of ceramics coexisting harmoniously with extensive art collections in varied media and periods, as well as displayed among trophies, photographs, and other more personal mementos.

Buy, Sell, Hold: Picasso Ceramics (Artnet News)