European artist like few others, capable of continually renewing himself and acting as a bridge between different languages and countries that come together under the sign of his name: Pablo Picasso.
April 8, 2023 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the artist's death, an event that will be celebrated in the many places where Picasso left his indelible mark amidst multifaceted art, commitment, custom, history, always in the sign of the avant-garde, always a step forward in lucidity of thought.
For the occasion, France and Spain have decided to work together by setting up a committee that gave life to Picasso Celebration 1973-2023, over sixty exhibitions and events to be held in Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Monaco, Romania and Belgium) and North America in the name of a historiographical analysis of Picasso's work.
Meanwhile in Madrid, on 12 September, "the Picasso year" was officially inaugurated, which already saw the first openings in October 2022 and will continue throughout 2023, encroaching on until mid-2024. The inauguration was held at the Reina Sofia museum, at the foot of the majestic 'Guernica', in the presence of the King of Spain Felipe VI, who recalled Picasso as an "unrepeatable" painter, "a long-range beacon, an inexhaustible source of inspiration" and "an artist complete and tireless worker", and the Spanish premier Pedro Sanchez.
for which "Picasso picked up on the wound of our people, the collective shock that still challenges us today".
An emotion that will cross the world.
at the foot of the majestic 'Guernica', in the presence of the King of Spain Felipe VI, who recalled Picasso as an "unrepeatable" painter, "a long-range beacon, an inexhaustible source of inspiration" and "a complete artist and tireless worker" , and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
for which "Picasso picked up on the wound of our people, the collective shock that still challenges us today".
An emotion that will cross the world.
at the foot of the majestic 'Guernica', in the presence of the King of Spain Felipe VI, who recalled Picasso as an "unrepeatable" painter, "a long-range beacon, an inexhaustible source of inspiration" and "a complete artist and tireless worker" , and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
for which "Picasso picked up on the wound of our people, the collective shock that still challenges us today".
An emotion that will cross the world.
In Spain alone, in fact, Picasso lived - and will be remembered - in the 5 cities closest to the artist, Malaga, Madrid, Barcelona, A Coruña and Bilbao.
Malaga is where he was born in 1881;
then in 1891 the family moved to A Coruña and in 1895 to Barcelona.
In particular, the young Pablo stayed in Barcelona for 9 years: it was here that his artistic vein matured from his apprenticeship at the School of Fine Arts to the Catalan artistic avant-garde.
The Guggenheim in Bilbao could not be missing - Guernica is located 35 km from the Basque city - which organizes a major retrospective throughout autumn 2023 while the Guggenheim in New York hosts an exhibition on the Young Picasso in Paris from May to July.
Also in the Big Apple, the Moma from October 1st to February 2nd 2024 will be the turn of Picasso in Fontainebleau.
Among the major initiatives worth mentioning, the exhibitions in Madrid: at the Prado, "Picasso - El Greco" (13.06.2023-17.09.2023);
at the Casa de Velázquez, "Picasso contra Velázquez" (September-November 2023);
at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, "Picasso. Lo sagrado y lo profano'' (02.10.2023-14.01.2024); at the Reina Sofía, "Picasso 1906: La gran transformación" (14.11.2023-04.03.2024). And more Paris, Lyon, the Côte d'Azur, with the Antibes museum at the forefront. France is also actively participating in the celebration, with over 12 exhibitions throughout the territory. To inaugurate the year of the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso, the National Picasso Museum in Paris proposes a spectacular rearrangement of its permanent collection, combining the museum's masterpieces with works by modern and contemporary artists,
and inviting British fashion designer, Paul Smith, to imagine and design the entire show.
In a broad chronological itinerary, which allows visitors to retrace the artist's entire creation, the public will find some of the most emblematic moments and themes in Picasso's work.
Also in Paris, ''Picasso.
drawing endlessly'' will be hosted from 18.10.2023 to 22.01.2024 at the Pompidou Center.
In Italy in 2023, among other things, an exhibition is planned at the Mann in Naples, Picasso and the Mann, with which - explained the director Paolo Giulierini - the ambitious goal of one million visitors is aimed.
While the Man of Nuoro is already underway, "Picasso and Guernica. Genesis of a masterpiece. Against all wars", an exhibition that recalls the passage of the famous painting in Italy.
At the end of 2023,
The latter will bring together all the offices and agents involved in the Celebration (museum institutions, research centers and researchers) around the theme "Picasso in the 21st century: historiographical and cultural issues", opening to the participation of art historians, renowned curators of exhibitions in the Picasso field, artists, writers and collectors.
The year 2023 will also be marked by the opening of the Center d'Études Picasso at the Musée National Picasso-Paris, located in the historic and renovated spaces of the Hôtel de Rohan.
(HANDLE).