Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson today launched the latest must-see Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition which opens to Victorians and interstate and international visitors tomorrow.
The National Gallery of Victoria has partnered with two iconic French institutions, the Centre Pompidou and the Musée national Picasso-Paris, to bring this exclusive presentation to Melbourne.
Taking a big-picture perspective, The Picasso Century explores Picasso’s work through the personal and artistic connections he had with revered artists, poets and intellectuals over the course of his career. It provides unique insight into one of the 20th century’s most influential and celebrated artists, and those he worked with.
Featuring over 80 Picasso works, the exhibition showcases his legacy and role in pivotal art movements such as cubism and surrealism. These will be displayed alongside 100 works and artefacts linked to his contemporaries, including Salvador Dalí, Dora Maar, Georges Braque, Alberto Giacometti, Henri Matisse and Gertrude Stein.
The exhibition also includes pieces rarely exhibited in Australia by artists such as Natalia Goncharova, Julio González, Wifredo Lam, Suzanne Valadon and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva.
Budding art lovers and families will be able to get in on the fun with a free NGV Kids exhibition Making Art: Imagine everything is real featuring hands-on collage and art-making activities and multimedia experiences.
The Picasso Century is the latest instalment of the Andrews Labor Government’s hugely popular Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, which brings major international art exhibitions exclusively to Melbourne. It will be presented alongside Light: Works from the Tate’s Collection which opens at ACMI next week.
Since 2004, the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series has enabled art fans to get up close to work by masters such as Degas and Monet and blockbuster exhibitions from galleries like the Guggenheim and MoMA.
The Picasso Century opens to the public from 10 June to 9 October. For tickets and program details visit ngv.vic.gov.au. External LinkPatrons who spend $40 or more on tickets before the end of June may be eligible to claim a 25 per cent rebate through the Victorian Entertainment Program.
As stated by Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson
“An extraordinary international collaboration, this exhibition has been developed for Melbourne and presents Picasso’s work, alongside many other famous artists and thinkers, like never before.”
“We’re excited to bring this latest world-premiere Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition to the NGV as part of our blockbuster season of art. It’s a treat for local art lovers and a massive drawcard for visitors this winter.”
As stated by NGV director Tony Ellwood
“This exhibition offers visitors an extraordinary insight into the development of modern art and the pre-eminent figure at its centre, Pablo Picasso.”
As stated by Musée national Picasso-Paris President Cécile Debray
“The Picasso Century offers an original, broad approach that allows us to grasp the artist’s career in his artistic and cultural context, from his formative years to his posterity.”
