The legacy of Picasso's ceramic work is exhibited at the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona together with the traditional Spanish pieces that inspired him.

The exhibition, curated by Isabel Cendoya and Isabel Fernández del Moral, curators of the Museu del Disseny, shows the 16 ceramic pieces donated by Pablo Picasso to Barcelona along with a selection of the pieces that he himself was able to see in 1957 at the exhibition La Céramique Espagnole, du XIIIè siècle a nos jours, at the Palais Miramar in Cannes.

Picasso's will has a total of 106 pieces, including 13 documents and 93 ceramics. Among these, 16 works by Picasso and three loans from the Museu d'Arqueologia de Catalunya (MAC) and the Museu Arqueològic Nacional (MAN) stand out. In addition, valuable documents on loan from the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) and the Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya (ANC) are also on display.

The exhibition highlights the value of the collection of historic Spanish ceramics and emphasizes the importance of these pieces in Picasso's ceramic work. For the first time, a dialogue is established between the pieces donated by the artist and a selection of the works that Picasso was able to appreciate in the exhibition La Céramique Espagnole, du XIIIè siècle a nos jours at the Palais Miramar in Cannes in 1957.

The exhibition is organized into four thematic sections, each with its own narrative. The first, entitled But is it possible that they have done this before me?, was Picasso's famous exclamation upon seeing the selection of ceramics in the exhibition La Céramique Espagnole, du XIIIè siècle a nos jours in Cannes. This discovery and the meeting with Lluís Maria Llubià, the curator of ceramics at the time, led to the donation of the ceramic works to the Barcelona Art Museums.

The exhibition continues with the second section, La Céramique Espagnole, du XIIIè siècle a nos jours, which recreates the Cannes exhibition and shows a selection of works from the collection of the Museu Disseny to convey the influence it had on Picasso and his work. In this section you can admire pieces of Spanish ceramics from medieval times to works of the twentieth century. 

The third theme, History of a donation, exhibits the documentation related to Picasso's donation and the fundamental role of Lluís Maria Llubià. Among the outstanding documents is a diary by Llubià, entitled Activities of the ceramologist, in which he details the whole process of obtaining the donation of Picasso's works. In addition, reproductions of photographs of Picasso's ceramic exhibitions at different times and places are exhibited.

Finally, Picasso's Will, fulfills the artist's wish to show the donated pieces together with the museum's collection of historic ceramics. Here a dialogue is established between the technique and symbolism of traditional ceramics and the creativity of Picasso, who was inspired by forms and processes of the past to express his own artistic concerns.

As we explore the exhibits, a special connection is established that allows us to understand the essence of Picasso as an artist. In this way, he becomes a continuator and renovator of the Spanish pottery tradition and establishes himself as a creator who embraces the knowledge of the artists and artisans who preceded him.