Local residents will have the rare chance to view an internationally renowned exhibit at The David McCune International Art Gallery at Methodist University.

McCune’s Gallery will be host to PICASSO: 25 Years of Edition Ceramics from the Rosenbaum Collection, an exhibit featuring pottery created by Pablo Picasso. The exhibit will run at the gallery from Feb. 13 through April 13.

The David McCune International Art Gallery at Methodist University hosts student, regional, national, and international artists.

The exhibit will be available for viewing Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. There is no cost for admission to the gallery

.Forty ceramic pieces including plates, bowls, pitchers, vases and plaques, posters and other memorabilia will be on display. The pieces were created between 1947 and 1971 at the Madoura pottery workshop in Vallauris, southern France.

“Picasso is an artist that most people recognize, and have strong opinions about, and this is the type of show that people will travel to see,” said Gallery Director Silvana Foti. “A Picasso show is something that we would normally find in a more metropolitan area. Without the support of our community sponsors, we wouldn’t have been able to bring a name like Picasso to the gallery. This exhibit is also intriguing because we can take a less-known aspect of Picasso’s work — his ceramic art — and bring it to the public eye.”

Part of a national tour, the exhibit’s stop at Methodist University is the only North Carolina and South Atlantic host for display.

The gallery will host a reception to celebrate the opening of the exhibit on Feb. 13 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The reception is open to the public.

Renowned for his paintings, sculptures and graphics, Picasso became fascinated with pottery after seeing the Madoura potters at a craft fair in 1946. Over the course of 25 years, working with George and Suzanne Ramie, owners of the Madoura studio, Picasso created 633 different plates, bowls, vases and pitchers in limited editions. Most of the pottery was created by the workshop style, a technique where the artist was paired with trained assistants to create the finished piece. From creating clay molds for the pieces and painting pieces that served as models, Picasso’s involvement in the creation process varied from piece to piece.

Many of the pieces in the exhibit come from the personal collection of Marvin Rosenbaum, a well-respected expert in the field. Rosenbaum has traveled to the Madoura Pottery workshop in Vallauris, France. He has been collecting Picasso pieces for over 40 years and has acquired more than 100 pieces.

The exhibit is made possible through the generosity of local sponsors including premiere sponsorship from Cumberland County Tourism Development Authority, ARCO, and Janet Parks, gallery consultant for the David McCune International Art Gallery.

The exhibit tour was organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions. More information about the exhibit can be found on the Landau website at www.a-r-t.com.

For more information on the David McCune International Art Gallery at Methodist University, please visit www.DavidMcCuneGallery.org or call 910-GALLERY.

Photo: Methodist University will host PICASSO: 25 Years of Edition Ceramics from the Rosenbaum Collection, an exhibit featuring pottery created by Pablo Picasso.