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Some of Pablo Picasso’s never-before-seen black and white paintings are on display at the Guggenheim Museum. The exhibition features an extensive examination of Picasso’s black and white palette, with over 100 paintings, sculptures and works on paper, representing the monochromatic influence on his art across different periods.
The spiraling white floors of New York’s Guggenheim Museum have been taken over by stunning black and white monochromatic art of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. Dubbed "Picasso Black and White", the exhibition focuses on the iconic artist’s lifelong exploration of the black-and-white palette and features 118 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper from 1904 to 1971.
Las Meninas, courtesy of the Estate of Pablo Picasso
According to the museum, this is the first major exhibition to focus on the artist’s passion for black-and-white. The chronological presentation comprises significant loans drawn from private and public collections across Europe and the United States, six of which have never before been exhibited or published, while 38 of these artworks are having their first American outing.
Carmen Gimenez, Curator of 20th-Century Art, Guggenheim Museum, said, "I think what is interesting for the public is to see the whole life of Picasso in black and white. It’s a very new situation and it’s a better understanding of who is Picasso."
The black and white works do not belong to any one single period but come from various Picasso periods as he continued to be inspired by the simplicity and power of monochrome through his life. His repeated uses of a black, white and gray palette are correlated to his obsessive interest in line and form and his passion for exercises in light and dark.
Impressive black-and-white canvases figure his vibrant interpretations of art-historical masterpieces, such as the 1962 "The Rape of the Sabines", inspired by Nicolas Poussin.
"The Maids of Honor" inspired by a 1656 painting of the same name by Diego Velazquez, a leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age, is also on display.
Other highlights of the exhibition include Picasso’s depiction of embracing couples, as seen in the 1969 oil on canvas, "The Kiss" and voluptuous nudes such as the 1969 "Reclining Nude."
"Picasso Black and White" can be viewed through January 23rd, 2013.
Some of Pablo Picasso’s never-before-seen black and white paintings
are on display at the Guggenheim Museum.
中国公共新闻摘编：GAN JADE |
