The exhibition ‘Picasso’ has opened at the National Museum in Warsaw. Until 14 January 2024, visitors will be able to see 127 works by Pablo Picasso, including 75 objects from the collection of the Museo Casa Natal Picasso in Malaga and 52 works from the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw. The opening of the exhibition was attended by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Professor Piotr Glinski.
The Picasso exhibition is held to mark the 50th anniversary of the artist’s death and Spain’s assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The exhibition is divided into four sections. The first one introduces the Spanish painter’s reflections on beauty. The works in this section are characterised by vital representations of nude figures and a respect for proportion that was already evident in Picasso’s first artistic period. The second section ‘Legacy of Myths’ deals with his fascination with mythological figures, especially the Minotaur, Phaunus and Centaur figures. The third section, ‘Ceramic Faces’, presents a wide selection of works made in ceramics, which are a testament to Picasso’s innovation and passion – the artist modelled, shaped, designed, decorated, carved, and sculpted more than 3,500 clay objects over a period of around 20 years.
The last section of the exhibition, entitled Polish Accents, is devoted to the Polish elements in the painter’s oeuvre, which are related to his visit to Poland in 1948. It was then, during his stay in Warsaw, that Picasso donated a collection of ceramic platters and prints to the National Museum in Warsaw. He also visited Krakow, where he purchased embroidered sheepskins, which later appeared in his works, including the famous series of lithographs ‘Woman in an Armchair’.
The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the National Museum in Warsaw and the Museo Casa Natal Picasso in Malaga, the Cervantes Institute in Warsaw and Turespaña. The Spanish Embassy in Poland has provided patronage for the exhibition.
Adrian Andrzejewski