Passion and Creation of Picasso ", More than 170 authentic Picasso artworks landed in Nanjing

The Beiqiu Museum of Contemporary Art (BMCA) is pleased to announce that it will present the largest solo exhibition of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) in the Nanjing area from October 1, 2021 to January 3, 2022, titled "Beyond Genius: Pablo Picasso's Passion and Creation". This exhibition is supported by the Picasso Foundation and the Picasso Museum in Malaga (Spain, Italy). The exhibited works include 117 paintings, 46 ceramics, and 9 photographs of Picasso's life taken by photographer Robert Capa, focusing on the latter thirty years of Picasso's creative career and striving to present the artistic charm of Picasso's middle and late period. This large-scale solo exhibition of Picasso is curated by Wang Chunchen, Deputy Director of the Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. The 172 authentic works are combined with the unique internal architectural features of the Beiqiu Contemporary Art Museum, showcasing Picasso's astonishing passion and artistic creativity from different levels, providing audiences with the opportunity to experience, observe, and comprehend this artist up close, and thus unravel the mysteries of his unique artistic world.

罗伯塔·卡帕摄影，老美术馆，1948，银盐冲洗摄影，18x25cm

Picasso by Robert Capa, Old Museum, 1948, silver print, 18x25cm

Pablo Picasso's extraordinary imagination is reflected in his artistic works, whether it is oil paintings or etchings, all of which showcase Picasso's unease, adventure, resilience, and passion. Close examination of Picasso's works reveals his fervent hope and profound thoughts. Pablo Picasso is the fruit of European culture and a model of modernism. His great influence on 20th century art has spread throughout the world and continues to this day.

毕加索，简单的一餐，1904，干刻版画，46.3x37.7cm

Pablo Picasso, Le Repas frugal, 1904, drypoint, 46.3x37.7cm

The "Stray Artist Series" is Picasso's earliest printmaking work with the human body as the theme, consisting of 14 pieces, which will be exhibited in a complete set in this exhibition. Among them, "A Simple Meal" (1904), an important work from Picasso's late "Blue Period", sold for a record breaking HKD 10 million at Christie's Hong Kong in the autumn of 2014, becoming the world's most expensive printmaking.

The inspiration for the "Bullfighting Series" comes from the story of the greatest bullfighter in 18th century Spain, Jos é Delgado. The 26 copperplate prints in this series, like film, showcase different moments of bullfighting process; Similarly, due to Picasso's personal fascination with bull and bullfighting performances, he created the "Bull and Bullfighter Series" from 1957 to 1959, which not only witnessed the great friendship between the artist himself and his friends, but also hinted at Picasso's longing for his hometown.

毕加索，“两个女人23-09-1939”版画，1957，版画，32.2x43.5 cm

Pablo Picasso, Lithograph made after "Deux Femmes 23-09-1939”, 1957, lithography, 32.2x43.5 cm

The Picasso Studio Series "was completed by him in 1957 in his studio by the seaside in Cannes, California. Pablo Picasso spent most of his later years here, seemingly looking back on his life. Therefore, we can not only see many still life themes that he loved during the cubist period, but also his long-standing experiments on the human body, which are intricately linked to masterpieces such as "The Young Girl of Avignon" and "Guernica".

This exhibition will also feature 9 photographs taken by Hungarian American photojournalist Robert Capa for the Picasso family. These life photos subvert the proud image of Picasso as a genius artist in people's hearts, allowing the audience to have a more comprehensive understanding and knowledge of this great artist.

毕加索，和平鸽A.R.218，1953，方盘，32x39cm

Pablo Picasso,Bright Dove A.R.218 1953, rectangular dish, 32x39cm

The exhibition style of 'Beyond Genius - Picasso's Passion and Creation' differs from the usual division of Picasso's artistic career into a series of isolated and simply defined periods. The nine units of this exhibition serve as "atomic centers" and together with the clues they contain about the art and life of the greatest master of art of the 20th century, they construct a three-dimensional "bat model" called "Picasso". This presents the parallel expression of various seemingly contradictory artistic languages in Picasso, tearing apart the label of "genius" in order to restore a more realistic and three-dimensional Picasso, and feel his inexhaustible creativity and passion in art and life.

About Beiqiu Contemporary Art Museum

The Beiqiu Contemporary Art Museum is located in the Banshan Garden of Huanya Catherine Square, Xuanwu District, Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, with its back leaning against the Jilong Mountain of the North Pole Pavilion. As the first art museum in the country to be embedded on a hill in the city center, Beiqiu integrates contemporary art collection, exhibition, research and development, and education.

The main building of the art museum retains its original appearance from more than 20 years ago, and underwent restoration and reinforcement six years ago. The 1100 square meter space cleverly connects with the lush mountains, and the interior of the exhibition hall, which is poured with plain concrete, presents a collision of industry and originality. History, nature, and reality are intertwined, and pioneers and traditions are repeatedly explored. The locality, multimodality, and uncertainty of contemporary art are all responded to here.