Yet another terrific intensely focused Picasso exhibit at the Gagosian Gallery: "Picasso's Picassos"
Curated by Marie-Thérèse's granddaughter, the art historian Diana Widmaier, these works are selected from the the collection of Maya Ruiz-Picasso. Maya is the daughter of Marie-Thérèse and Picasso and she was the subject of several important paintings.
Marie-Thérèse avec une guirlande, 1937
Oil and pencil on canvas
24 × 18 1/8 inches (61 × 46 cm)
© 2016 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Béatrice Hatala. Courtesy Gagosian.
This "most Picasso-esque" painting was also included in the "Picasso and Marie-Thérèse" exhibit with good reason: it is a powerful example of painterly handling and surrealist distortion.
Maya à la poupée et au cheval, 1938,
Oil on canvas
28 3/4 × 23 5/8 inches (73 × 60 cm)
© 2016 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society. (ARS), New York.Photo by Béatrice Hatala. Courtesy Gagosian.
One of two "Maya à la poupée" paintings from 1938, this painting was also included in the "Picasso and Marie-Thérèse" exhibit which also paired it with the portrait of her mother to great effect.
Marie-Thérèse accoudée, 1939
Oil on canvas
25 5/8 × 18 1/8 inches (65 × 46 cm)
© 2016 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society. (ARS), New York.
Photo by Béatrice Hatala. Courtesy Gagosian.
I have to confess that this painting made the trip uptown so worthwhile: it must be seen in person as the reproduction merely hints at the thickly textured paint handling that gives the painting a tactile and almost haptic palpability.
An addendum to this exhibit is held at the Gagosian Shop which is hosting a "Picasso Takeover". The Shop (Exit through the Giftshop?) features a range of "all things Picasso" including etchings, ceramics, tapestries, posters along with rare books and magazines. As a Picasso-fanatic, I was only to glad to be immersed in the plethora of offerings.
We New Yorkers have been treated to several Picasso exhibits presented at Gagosian and curated by John Richardson (the estimable Picasso biographer) over the last several years. Here are some links to previous Picasso exhibitions at Gagosian in NYC:
"Mosqueteros” (2009)
This exhibit from 2009 featured a treasure-trove of late works that forced many to re-evaluate this period in Picasso's oeuvre. As I recall, this was the best painting exhibit in NYC that year; the work looked fresh, current and very relevant nearly forty years after Picasso's death.
“Picasso and Marie-Thérèse: L’amour fou” 2011
This exhibit from 2011 included paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints "inspired by one of Picasso's most ideal models and enduring passions".
“Picasso and Françoise Gilot: Paris–Vallauris 1943–1953”
This exhibit from 2012 paired paintings by Picasso with those of his partner of nearly ten years.
"Picasso and the Camera"
This exhibit from 2014-early 2015 provided "an unprecedented survey of his unique relationship with the camera".
