The exhibition "Picasso: The Foreigner" at the Palazzo Reale in Milan attracts significant interest, presenting the life and work of Pablo Picasso through the lens of his social and political dimensions. The exhibition runs from September 20, 2024, to February 2, 2025, and is organized by Marsilio Arte in collaboration with the Musée national Picasso-Paris.
The exhibition focuses on Picasso's life as a "foreigner" in France, where he lived and created for over six decades. During World War I, Picasso fell victim to French xenophobia due to the German origins of the gallery promoting Cubism. In the interwar years, his works were often rejected by national collections, highlighting the resistance of the French academic community.
The exhibition includes iconic works by the artist such as "Le Sacré-Coeur" (1909-1910), "La lecture de la lettre" (1921), and "Les Baigneurs: la femme aux bras écartés" (1956), revealing his ongoing quest for new forms and styles influenced by his political and social environment.
Despite the difficulties he faced as a foreigner, Picasso managed to create a strong circle of friends and supporters who helped him survive and thrive in a France filled with social and political tensions. Exhibition curator Annie Cohen-Solal highlights the complexity of Picasso's identity, presenting him not only as an artist but also as a strategist navigating a hostile environment.
This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to better understand Picasso as an artist and individual, as well as how the political and social conditions shaped his work. This retrospective on Picasso's history provides a deeper appreciation of his art and his influence on the global cultural landscape.
For more information, you can visit the Marsilio Arte website.