By Jennifer Henry

From a rough-hewn slab engraved with a child's portrait to the smooth contemporary lines of his vases and bowls, Picasso, intent on exploring the medium fully, tried his hand at creating ceramics unbound by convention. Most notable are Picasso's zoomorphic pitchers, some glazed in bold strokes of black, cobalt blue and ruddy umber to illustrate the animal after which they were modeled, while others bear only an abstract resemblance to their inspiration.

Like his works on canvas, Picasso's ceramics revisit his favorite Spanish motifs such as bullfighting and often incorporate the bright palette and sensuous curvature associated with his native culture. Evocative of the artist's penchant for figurative scenes, many of the works feature his signature faces, often smiling and engaged with the observer. An aspect, in addition to the bright colors and rudimentary rendering style, that often brings a smile to the admirer themselves.

"They were like all of his passions, but in the ceramics you can really see his joy. They make you feel happy," smiled Ruiz-Picasso. "It's like the happiness you feel when you're a child, when you're with your family, when you're having fun!"

Picasso Restaurant
An elegant fusion of fine art and inspired cuisine, the AAA Five Diamond award-winning restaurant, Picasso at Bellagio is home to a priceless collection of Picasso's creations and the regional delights that inspired him. After all, Picasso's passion for pottery began in Vallauris, an arts commune near the French Riviera, famous not only as the home of the Madoura workshop where Picasso first experimented with ceramics but also for the French-Mediterranean cuisine perfected at Bellagio by Chef Julian Serrano.
Picasso is open Wednesday - Monday 6 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
For more information or reservations, call 877-2-DINE-LV or visit bellagio.com.

In The Master's Hands: Picasso's Ceramics, Treasures from the Estate of Pablo Picasso at Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art through January 14, 2008. Open Sunday - Thursday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Open Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. For tickets or more information, call 877-957-9777 or visit bellagio.com.