All You Need To Know About Picasso: From The Studio

Janet McLean, National Gallery of Ireland Curator of Modern Art, on this landmark exhibition …

Featured image: Bust of a Woman with a Blue Hat, 1944
© GrandPalaisRmn (Musee National Picasso-Paris) / Mathieu Rabeau

What was the inspiration behind Picasso: From The Studio?

Picasso lived a long and very creative life. He made over 13,000 paintings alone! It’s challenging to encapsulate him in an exhibition – there’s always so much more to show and say. By anchoring our exhibition in his key studios in Paris, Normandy and the Cote d’Azur, we hope our visitors get a sense of travelling through time and places by his side.

We show early Cubist collages and assemblages, paintings made while on holiday in the Riviera in the 1920s, sculptures and paintings inspired by Marie-Thérèse Walter in the 1930s, the War years in Paris in the 1940s, ceramics and sculptures made in Vallauris in the 1940s and 1950s, work made in Cannes in the 1950s, and Picasso’s final studio in Mougins where he worked through the 1960s until his death in 1973.

Woman Reading, 1935
© GrandPalaisRmn (Musee National Picasso-Paris) / Adrien Didierjean

When did collaboration with the Musée National Picasso-Paris begin?

The Musée Picasso-Paris is celebrating its 40th anniversary – not only does it have an amazing collection and archive, but its curators also have a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Curator of Paintings Joanne Snrech has worked with us over several years to select examples of Picasso’s paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings and ceramics, spanning seven decades of his life. In the exhibition, we show still-lifes and portraits, interiors and landscapes, images of animals and scenes from imagination. We have also included photographs and film footage, which give fascinating glimpses of Picasso behind the scenes, and a sense of how he lived and worked surrounded by art.

Portrait of Marie-Thérèse, 1937
© GrandPalaisRmn (Musee National Picasso-Paris) / Adrien Didierjean

What do you hope visitors take away from this exhibition?

We hope visitors come away with a sense of Picasso’s astounding work ethic and focus. We hope too that they might be interested to see how connected he was to other creative people. How intimately he engaged with other artists and artisans, printmakers and ceramicists. And how, despite being the most famous artist of the 20th century, he never rested on his reputation. He was always curious and open to trying out new things. There are certainly many surprises in the exhibition, which show that there are many more sides to Picasso than Cubism.

The Studio at La Californie, 1956
© GrandPalaisRmn (Musee National Picasso-Paris) / Mathieu Rabeau

What artwork has meant the most to you in this exhibition?

A painting that has come to mean a lot to me is The Studio at La Californie, which Picasso painted in March 1956. Between 1955 and 1956, he made three important series of studio-themed paintings, which he called his paysages d’intérieur (interior landscapes). This one belongs to the series that he made in homage to his friend Henri Matisse, who died in 1954. The tall windows, leaf-shaped cut-outs, palm trees and Moroccan brazier all evoke the joyful spirit of Matisse. Picasso includes some of his own recent paintings such as Jacqueline au costume turc in the studio. At the centre, a blank canvas sits on an easel waiting for Picasso to make his mark. It’s a quiet painting that seems both elegiac and life-affirming.

Picasso,-'Claude-drawing,-Francoise-and-Paloma'

What outreach activities at the gallery are inspired by the exhibition?

Head of Education & Public Programming Sinéad Rice has organised a vibrant range of events and experiences, designed to ensure equitable and inclusive access for all audiences. These include conversational events fostering inclusive dialogue and multi-sensory sessions, curatorial talks offering fresh insights into Picasso’s legacy, and life and still-life art workshops open to all skill levels and age groups. Cultural art-psychotherapy sessions will also explore the relationship between creativity and wellbeing, complemented by school-based residencies, community-led initiatives and access-first programming.

Need to know: Picasso: From the Studio runs from October 9 to February 22 in rooms 6-10 (Beit Wing) at National Gallery of Ireland. Tickets cost from €5.

SEE MORE: Touring The Med In Picasso’s Footsteps