Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris

09-29-2010

 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia to host Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris

International exhibition features work from every phase of artist’s celebrated career
Richmond Region hotels offering special packages for visitors attending the exhibit

Video announcement by VMFA Director Alex Nyerges: 

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond, Virginia, proudly announces the most important exhibition in its history, Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris. VMFA is the only East Coast venue for the exhibition’s seven-city international tour. The exhibition, which runs from February 19 through May 15, 2011, is co-organized by the Musée National Picasso, Paris and VMFA. Tickets are available now.

Drawn from the collection of the Musée National Picasso in Paris, the largest and most significant repository of the artist’s work in the world, this exhibition represents works produced during every major artistic period of Pablo Picasso’s eight-decade career. It includes 176 works from Picasso’s personal collection – pieces that he kept for himself with the purpose of shaping his own legacy. Altria Group is the lead sponsor for the exhibition.

“By bringing this major international exhibition to the Commonwealth, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is celebrating its 75th anniversary year in a significant way, by presenting a remarkable gift to all Virginians and Americans,” states Bob McDonnell, Governor of Virginia. “I encourage all our citizens and those outside the Commonwealth to come visit Virginia's museum and enjoy the Picasso exhibition. Virginia is a wonderful destination for so many experiences, including world-class art.”

“This exhibition is without a doubt a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the public,” says Alex Nyerges, director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. “An exhibition this monumental is extremely rare, especially one that spans the entire career of a figure who many consider the most influential, innovative, and creative artist of the 20^th century.”

In addition to showcasing some of Picasso’s most outstanding works, the exhibition tells a compelling story about the development of the artist’s career, his artistic inspirations, and his profound impact on modern art. 

The unique opportunity to exhibit Picasso’s work at this time is possible because the Musée Picasso National in Paris is closed for renovations until 2012, allowing for a global tour of this full-scale survey to travel for the first and possibly only time. 

“We are extremely proud to be partnering with VMFA to bring such a significant art exhibition to our Richmond headquarters community,” said Marty Barrington, executive vice president, Altria Group, and VMFA trustee. “With the Picasso exhibition, VMFA continues to realize its vision of being a world-class quality that will make Richmond a leading destination for fine art in the United States.”  Altria is pleased to support this exhibition, which will enrich our Richmond community in many ways.” 

The exhibition will showcase moments and art that defined Picasso’s early career, including a deathbed portrait of the artist’s close friend Carlos Casagemas. His friend’s suicide partially influenced Picasso’s famed Blue Period, defined by somber paintings in shades of blue and green.  Le Celéstina (1904), a masterpiece from the Blue Period, will be featured in the exhibition. 

Friends, lovers, and artists who influenced Picasso play a seminal role in the exhibition.  Portraits of his mistresses, such as The Reading (1932) and Portrait of Dora Maar (1937), feature his muses in various emotional states ranging from regal composure to inconsolable despair.  Works ranging from studies for his early groundbreaking  Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), to some of the last works of his career show his connection to, and often competition with,  other notable artists from his past and present such as Henri Matisse,  Georges Braque, Paul Cézanne, and Diego Velazquez. The exhibition includes examples of almost every medium in which Picasso worked –oil on canvas and panel, cast bronze, carved wood, assemblages of found materials, watercolors, drawings in pastel, charcoal, pencil, and ink; various printmaking techniques, and illustrated books.   

While Picasso contributed to and even inspired countless movements, he and Braques co-invented an entirely new movement: Cubism. Focused on fragmentation, shifting planes, and skewed perspectives, Cubism revolved around the deconstruction and reconstruction of figures and objects on two-dimensional surfaces or in space with new materials. The exhibition includes classical examples of Analytic Cubism, such as the famous Parisian landmark Le Sacré-Coeur (1909-1910), and several paintings of figures with musical instruments where the subjects are torqued and faceted almost beyond recognition.   

Picasso frequently shifted from one stylistic mode to another, moving through various forms of expression to match his protean vision and resist being constrained by any single style or movement.  His exploration of different theories and techniques led to art that was inspired by classicism, surrealism, and African art, among other sources. 

Involved in almost every artistic movement during his lifetime, he is recognized as one of the most powerful and creative forces of the 20th century. Never one to rest on his laurels, Picasso was constantly reinventing himself and searching for new sources of inspiration, both from the modern age and from the work of past artists and artworks.  This exhibition offers an unprecedented opportunity to understand the depth and breadth of Picasso’s genius. His revolutionary artistic achievements brought him universal praise and fame, and his art continues to inspire viewers as well as artists in a range of creative fields.  

About the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
With a collection of art that spans the globe and more than 5,000 years, plus a wide array of special exhibitions, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) is recognized as one of the top comprehensive art museums in the United States. The museum’s permanent collection encompasses more than 22,000 works of art, including the largest public collection of Fabergé outside Russia and one of the nation’s finest collections of American art. VMFA is home to acclaimed collections of English Silver and Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, British Sporting and Contemporary art, as well as renowned South Asian, Himalayan and African art. In May 2010, VMFA opened its doors to the public after a transformative expansion, the largest in its then 74-year history. Programs include educational activities and studio classes for all ages, plus fun after-hours events. VMFA’s Statewide Partnership program includes traveling exhibitions, artist and teacher workshops, and lectures across the Commonwealth. General admission is always free and
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