After an itinerant youth punctuated by stops in many high places of Spanish culture (Málaga, La Coruna, Barcelona), Pablo Picasso's route had to pass through Madrid.
His first visit during the holidays in 1895 was brief, but oh so intense: the 14-year-old teenager was captivated by his visit to the Prado Museum, where he discovered the canvases of Velásquez and El Greco.
We imagine that he would still attend this institution during the 1897-1898 school year: then settled in Madrid to follow the teaching provided by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, he quickly abandoned the courses of academic realism which hardly interest him.
The Prado will always hold a special place in his heart;
Picasso will even accept the direction between 1936 and 1939.
Pablo Picasso photographed by Edward Quinn ©Sucesión Pablo Picasso, VEGAP, Madrid, 2023
Picasso is capital!
Fifty years after his death, the Malagasy genius seems more topical than ever in Madrid, testifying to his prolific eclecticism… and to the diversity of the city's museum institutions.
At the National Museum Centro de Arte Reina Sofía first: where this monumental (3.49 x 7.77 m) and terrible splendor that is Guernica is contemplated, an exhibition called "Picasso 1906: the great transformation" will take place in the fall (starting November 14).
At the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, which houses paintings such as The Reapers or Harlequin in the Mirror, it is the temporary exhibition “Picasso: the sacred and the profane” which will be visible (from October 4).
Previously, the Prado will invite a subtle dialogue between two geniuses, “Picasso – El Greco” (from June 13).
Let us add the marvels of the Nahmad collection expected at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando;
the last ten years of the painter explored at La Casa Encendida, as well as another weighty face-to-face between Picasso and Velázquez at Casa de Velázquez.
Guitar “I love Eva” - 1912 ©Sucesión Pablo Picasso, VEGAP, Madrid, 2023
We cannot complete this itinerary without a peripheral getaway to Buitrago de Lozoya, to meet the Picasso Museum – Eugenio Arias collection.
The latter was the painter's barber during his exile from 1948 to 1976, but above all his friend.
Housing around sixty works (posters, ceramics, lithographs, drawings, etc.) many of them related to bullfighting – their common passion – this collection also includes a unique piece: a pyro-engraved box intended to house Arias' hairdressing utensils. .
Undoubtedly more modest than other places, this museum reveals an intimate and affective dimension of the painter.
And through his friendship for Eugenio, his unwavering attachment to this Spain which saw him born and grow...
For more information: https://www.spain.info/picasso-2023/en