BERLIN.- Pablo Picasso was the 20th centuryʼs most important artist. Picassoʼs many-faceted personality is reflected in the wide array of creative paths he chose -- his forms, colors, and the materials he used.
The Picasso Story invites you to meet Picasso, the man, and to delve into his life and creative world, to walk in his footsteps, to discover him, and like him, to embrace your internal creative spirit, and to leave a legacy for the world. The Picasso Story has been on display in Berlinʼs Humboldt Carré since November 1, 2009. At the heart of the exhibition is a collection of Picassoʼs ceramics and graphic art, complemented by the incredible images of Edward Quinn, who accompanied Picasso as a photographer for decades.
In Picassoʼs ceramics, produced in the final decades of his artistic activity, one rediscovers the Spanish artistʼs unique, central themes. Picassoʼs ceramics reflect the motifs of his lifeʼs work. Among the items on display at The Picasso Story is a selection of ceramics depicting his famous dove with olive branch motif, which along with his painting Guernica, was decisive for establishing his reputation as an artist engaged for peace. Some of Picassoʼs friends and colleagues guide visitors through the exhibitionʼs work in video clips, which also feature commentary by well-known Picasso experts.
The concept
Visitors to the exhibition are invited to meet one of the greatest luminaries of the last century. Visitors learn about Picasso, moving room to room, within the context of the political and social events of his times. The rooms are filled with stirring, expressive, at times very personal scenes and episodes from his life -- sometimes in large format, others times winsomely small, but almost always in black and white -- taken by one of the artistʼs few authorized photographers, Edward Quinn. The images help visitors grasp the controversial facets of Picassoʼs personality.
Grasp –The Picasso Story takes that term literally. The exhibition provides visitors with an opportunity to engage with Picasso, to discover the “man behind the mask.” This also occurs in playful interludes where visitors are invited to disguise themselves, to slip into the masquerade themselves, to perhaps discover a part of yourself, buried until now, a hidden genius revealed by grasping a paintbrush and paper, or a piece of molding clay: We dare you to be Picasso!
The Picasso Story was developed by ExpoNuevo, under the auspices of Dominicus Rohde, Luxembourg (Europa Museum and Schengen Peace Foundation), Dr. Michael Schäbitz (exhibeo), Berlin, and Prof. Dr. Dr.Johannes Fox, Cologne. The exhibitionʼs initiators want visitors to approach Picasso the man, his time, and this 20th century geniusʼ thinking. Visitors will enjoy, experience, and engage with the man and his unique work. The Picasso Story is not an exhibition in the classical sense of a museum – itʼs more offensive, less defensive, an animated event, not lifeless.
"Edutainment, an entertaining way of learning, thatʼs the closest approximation of our goal – to experience and understand a great genius of the last century – modern, inspiring, and varied,” says exhibition director Dr. Michael Schäbitz. “The uniqueness of the Picasso Story is that leading Picasso experts from many different countries, as well as friends, colleagues, and contemporary witnesses to the master, accompany the visitors personally throughout the exhibition though film clips on display,” adds Dominicus Rohde.
“Picassoʼs work cannot be understood or unlocked if one only explores the life of this great artist. One must engage intensely with the individuals with whom he surrounded himself, and the places he spent time,” says Prof. Johannes M. Fox.
The Picasso Story is open to the public from 10 AM to 8 PM daily at Humboldt Carré,
Behrensstr. 42, Berlin.
