Vallauris, France lies just east of Cannes, on the Golfe Juan bay.  It was the home of Pablo Picasso from 1948 to 1955, and is where he created some of his most simple, yet lasting and powerful pieces, War and Peace. (See collage, below).

It was also home to Marc Chagall, who not only was a rival, but friend of Picasso until a falling apart broke their relationship. Despite their differences, their influence on each other is undeniable, and their impact on Vallauris continues.

Vallauris is also home to the capitol of the European ceramic industry, built around the Madoura Studios run by Suzanne and Georges Ramié. The Madoura studio traditions and collaborations have produced some of the finest ceramic artwork in Europe.

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War & Peace, by Pablo Picasso

The irony (and possibly a great lesson in human nature and art)  is that this series of work are made while Picasso was a member of the Communist Party, and advocated deep changes in governments.   He too, was going through many changes, from his several stages of 2D art, to his ceramics and sculptures.  But the above work, composed of simple and smooth lines certainly denounces any kind of violence as a means of change.

National Picasso Museum 

Only a few hundred meters from the residency, the works displayed at the Picasso museum were truly inspirational.  
All of Vallauris is full of Picasso sculptures and works by Chagall, making the entire residency a "sensory overload."

Church Near the Residency

Streets of Vallauris

One of my residency mates took this picture just outside of the residency. Not a great picture (makes me look fat!), but the residency gave me a great look at other styles and techniques from around the world.