TONIGHT, SOTHEBY'S IMPRESSIONIST & MODERN EVENING SALE WAS LED BY PABLO PICASSO'S ICONIC 1932 PAINTING OF MARIE-THERESE WALTER, LA LECTURE, WHICH SOLD TO A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR £25,241,250 /$40,711,612, MORE THAN DOUBLE THE LOW ESTIMATE OF £12 – 18 MILLION/$18.5-27.8 MILLION. FOLLOWING A HEATED BIDDING CONTEST THAT LASTED SIX MINUTES AMONG AT LEAST SEVEN BIDDERS, BOTH ON THE PHONE AND IN THE SALESROOM, THE WORK FINALLY SOLD TO AN ANONYMOUS BUYER BIDDING OVER THE TELEPHONE. ACHIEVING A STRONG TOTAL OF £68,834,400 / $111,023,004, WELL WITHIN THE PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £55,630,000 - 79,250,000, THE SALE WAS 84.5% SOLD BY VALUE. THE SALE OF LA LECTURE BROUGHT THE PAINTING TO EUROPE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE IT WAS PAINTED IN 1932. IT IS ONE OF A SERIES OF DEFINING WORKS IN THE ARTIST'S OEUVRE IN WHICH HE INTRODUCES HIS YOUNG LOVER MARIE-THERESE WALTER AS A RECOGNIZABLE FIGURE. THE COUPLE'S RELATIONSHIP WAS KEPT A WELL-GUARDED SECRET FOR MANY YEARS, BOTH ON THE ACCOUNT OF THE FACT THAT PICASSO WAS THEN STILL MARRIED TO OLGA AND BECAUSE OF MARIE-THERES'S AGE, SHE WAS 17 AT THE TIME THEIR RELATIONSHIP BEGAN. UNTIL THE PERIOD IN WHICH THE WORK WAS PAINTED, MARIE-THERESE ONLY EVER APPEARED IN PICASSO'S WORKS IN CODE, HER FEATURES OFTEN EMBEDDED IN THE BACKGROUND OF HIS PAINTINGS. BUT BY THE END OF 1931, PICASSO COULD NO LONGER REPRESS THE CREATIVE IMPULSE THAT HIS LOVER INSPIRED, AND OVER CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR 1931 AND '32, MARIE-THERESE EMERGED, FOR THE FIRST TIME, IN FULLY RECOGNIZABLE, LANGUOROUS FORM.

PICASSO'S LA LECTURE SELLS FOR RECORD £25,241,250

TONIGHT, SOTHEBY'S IMPRESSIONIST & MODERN EVENING SALE WAS LED BY PABLO PICASSO'S ICONIC 1932 PAINTING OF MARIE-THERESE WALTER, LA LECTURE, WHICH SOLD TO A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR £25,241,250 /$40,711,612, MORE THAN DOUBLE THE LOW ESTIMATE OF £12 – 18 MILLION/$18.5-27.8 MILLION. FOLLOWING A HEATED BIDDING CONTEST THAT LASTED SIX MINUTES AMONG AT LEAST SEVEN BIDDERS, BOTH ON THE PHONE AND IN THE SALESROOM, THE WORK FINALLY SOLD TO AN ANONYMOUS BUYER BIDDING OVER THE TELEPHONE. ACHIEVING A STRONG TOTAL OF £68,834,400 / $111,023,004, WELL WITHIN THE PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £55,630,000 - 79,250,000, THE SALE WAS 84.5% SOLD BY VALUE. THE SALE OF LA LECTURE BROUGHT THE PAINTING TO EUROPE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE IT WAS PAINTED IN 1932. IT IS ONE OF A SERIES OF DEFINING WORKS IN THE ARTIST'S OEUVRE IN WHICH HE INTRODUCES HIS YOUNG LOVER MARIE-THERESE WALTER AS A RECOGNIZABLE FIGURE. THE COUPLE'S RELATIONSHIP WAS KEPT A WELL-GUARDED SECRET FOR MANY YEARS, BOTH ON THE ACCOUNT OF THE FACT THAT PICASSO WAS THEN STILL MARRIED TO OLGA AND BECAUSE OF MARIE-THERES'S AGE, SHE WAS 17 AT THE TIME THEIR RELATIONSHIP BEGAN. UNTIL THE PERIOD IN WHICH THE WORK WAS PAINTED, MARIE-THERESE ONLY EVER APPEARED IN PICASSO'S WORKS IN CODE, HER FEATURES OFTEN EMBEDDED IN THE BACKGROUND OF HIS PAINTINGS. BUT BY THE END OF 1931, PICASSO COULD NO LONGER REPRESS THE CREATIVE IMPULSE THAT HIS LOVER INSPIRED, AND OVER CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR 1931 AND '32, MARIE-THERESE EMERGED, FOR THE FIRST TIME, IN FULLY RECOGNIZABLE, LANGUOROUS FORM.

PICASSO'S LA LECTURE SELLS FOR RECORD £25,241,250

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, WILL CONTINUE ITS COLLABORATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA), NEW YORK, WITH THE EXCLUSIVE PRESENTATION OF THE MAJOR EXHIBITION 'PICASSO TO WARHOL: TWELVE MODERN MASTERS' BEGINNING IN OCTOBER 2011. THE EXHIBITION WILL PRESENT APPROXIMATELY 100 WORKS OF ART CREATED BY 12 OF THE MOST ICONIC ARTISTS FROM THE 20th CENTURY; PABLO PICASSO, HENRI MATISSE, CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI, PIET MONDRIAN, FERNAND LEGER, MARCEL DUCHAMP, GIORGIO DE CHIRICO, JOAN MIRO, ALEXANDER CALDER, JACKSON POLLOCK, JASPER JOHNS AND ANDY WARHOL. 'PICASSO TO WARHOL ' WILL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST CONCENTRATIONS OF MODERN ART MASTERPIECES TO EVER BE EXHIBITED IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. CO-ORGANIZED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART AND MOMA, THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW ONLY IN ATLANTA FROM 15.OCTOBER THROUGH 29.APRIL.2012.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART TO PRESENT 'PICASSO TO WARHOL: TWELVE MODERN MASTERS'

THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART, ATLANTA, WILL CONTINUE ITS COLLABORATION WITH THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MOMA), NEW YORK, WITH THE EXCLUSIVE PRESENTATION OF THE MAJOR EXHIBITION 'PICASSO TO WARHOL: TWELVE MODERN MASTERS' BEGINNING IN OCTOBER 2011. THE EXHIBITION WILL PRESENT APPROXIMATELY 100 WORKS OF ART CREATED BY 12 OF THE MOST ICONIC ARTISTS FROM THE 20th CENTURY; PABLO PICASSO, HENRI MATISSE, CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI, PIET MONDRIAN, FERNAND LEGER, MARCEL DUCHAMP, GIORGIO DE CHIRICO, JOAN MIRO, ALEXANDER CALDER, JACKSON POLLOCK, JASPER JOHNS AND ANDY WARHOL. 'PICASSO TO WARHOL ' WILL BE ONE OF THE LARGEST CONCENTRATIONS OF MODERN ART MASTERPIECES TO EVER BE EXHIBITED IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. CO-ORGANIZED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART AND MOMA, THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW ONLY IN ATLANTA FROM 15.OCTOBER THROUGH 29.APRIL.2012.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART TO PRESENT 'PICASSO TO WARHOL: TWELVE MODERN MASTERS'

A SENSUAL 1932 PORTRAIT BY PABLO PICASSO OF HIS YOUNG MISTRESS MARIE-THERESE WALTER WHICH CAPTURES HIS ROMANTIC OBSESSION WITH HER WENT ON DISPLAY RECENTLY AT SOTHEBY'S IN PARIS, AHEAD OF ITS AUCTION NEXT MONTH. IT WAS THE FIRST PUBLIC SHOWING IN EUROPE IN SOME 80 YEARS OF 'LA LECTURE', OR 'READING', AN EROTIC AND BRIGHTLY COLOURED DEPICTION OF THE VOLUPTUOUS MARIE-THERESE SLEEPING NUDE IN AN ARMCHAIR, HER HEAD THROWN BACK AND AN OPEN BOOK IN HER LAP. PAINTED IN BRIGHT YELLOW, GREEN AND RED OILS AT THE HEIGHT OF WHAT ART EXPERTS CALL PICASSO'S 'LOVESTRUCK' PERIOD, IT WILL BE THE STAR OFFERING AT AN UPCOMING SALE OF IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART BY SOTHEBY'S LONDON. EXPERTS SAY THE PAINTING COULD FETCH BETWEEN $19-29 MILLION AFTER ANOTHER PICASSO PORTRAIT OF MARIE-THERESE, 'NUDE, GREEN LEAVES AND BUST', WAS SOLD BY CHRISTIE'S, NEW YORK, FOR $106 MILLION IN 2010, AN ALL TIME RECORD FOR AN ART AUCTION. 'IN THE EARLY 1930s HE WAS VERY LYRICALLY IN LOVE AND REFLECTED THAT IN THESE GORGEOUS COLOURS, AND LOVELY COMPOSITION', PHILIP HOOK, DIRECTOR OF IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN PICTURE DEPARTMENT AT SOTHEBY'S IN LONDON TOLD REUTERS IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. 'THIS PERIOD IS JUST ABOUT THE MOST DESIRABLE OF ALL PICASSO'S PERIODS, CERTAINLY IN MARKET TERMS', HE SAID. MARIE-THERESE WAS ONE OF A SERIES OF LOVERS AND MUSES WHO INSPIRED PICASSO THROUGHOUT HIS PROLIFIC EIGHT-DECADE CAREER. SHE FIRST CAUGHT HIS EYE IN 1927, AGED JUST 17, AS SHE WAS COMING OUT OF THE PARIS METRO ON HER BACK FROM A SHOPPING TRIP. PICASSO, IN HIS MID-FORTIES, WAS IMMEDIATELY SMITTEN. MARIE-THERESE LATER SAID HE TOOK HER BY THE ARM AND SAID: 'I AM PICASSO. YOU AND I ARE GOING TO GREAT THINGS TOGETHER.' ALTHOUGH STILL MARRIED TO HIS FIRST WIFE, RUSSIAN DANCER OLGA KHOKHLOVA, PICASSO BEGAN A COVERT AFFAIR WITH MARIE-THERESE, WHO LATER GAVE BIRTH TO THEIR DAUGHTER, MAYA OR MARIA DE LA CONCEPCION.

SOTHEBY'S PRESENTS PABLO PICASSO'S LA LECTURE BEFORE AUCTION

A SENSUAL 1932 PORTRAIT BY PABLO PICASSO OF HIS YOUNG MISTRESS MARIE-THERESE WALTER WHICH CAPTURES HIS ROMANTIC OBSESSION WITH HER WENT ON DISPLAY RECENTLY AT SOTHEBY'S IN PARIS, AHEAD OF ITS AUCTION NEXT MONTH. IT WAS THE FIRST PUBLIC SHOWING IN EUROPE IN SOME 80 YEARS OF 'LA LECTURE', OR 'READING', AN EROTIC AND BRIGHTLY COLOURED DEPICTION OF THE VOLUPTUOUS MARIE-THERESE SLEEPING NUDE IN AN ARMCHAIR, HER HEAD THROWN BACK AND AN OPEN BOOK IN HER LAP. PAINTED IN BRIGHT YELLOW, GREEN AND RED OILS AT THE HEIGHT OF WHAT ART EXPERTS CALL PICASSO'S 'LOVESTRUCK' PERIOD, IT WILL BE THE STAR OFFERING AT AN UPCOMING SALE OF IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ART BY SOTHEBY'S LONDON. EXPERTS SAY THE PAINTING COULD FETCH BETWEEN $19-29 MILLION AFTER ANOTHER PICASSO PORTRAIT OF MARIE-THERESE, 'NUDE, GREEN LEAVES AND BUST', WAS SOLD BY CHRISTIE'S, NEW YORK, FOR $106 MILLION IN 2010, AN ALL TIME RECORD FOR AN ART AUCTION. 'IN THE EARLY 1930s HE WAS VERY LYRICALLY IN LOVE AND REFLECTED THAT IN THESE GORGEOUS COLOURS, AND LOVELY COMPOSITION', PHILIP HOOK, DIRECTOR OF IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN PICTURE DEPARTMENT AT SOTHEBY'S IN LONDON TOLD REUTERS IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. 'THIS PERIOD IS JUST ABOUT THE MOST DESIRABLE OF ALL PICASSO'S PERIODS, CERTAINLY IN MARKET TERMS', HE SAID. MARIE-THERESE WAS ONE OF A SERIES OF LOVERS AND MUSES WHO INSPIRED PICASSO THROUGHOUT HIS PROLIFIC EIGHT-DECADE CAREER. SHE FIRST CAUGHT HIS EYE IN 1927, AGED JUST 17, AS SHE WAS COMING OUT OF THE PARIS METRO ON HER BACK FROM A SHOPPING TRIP. PICASSO, IN HIS MID-FORTIES, WAS IMMEDIATELY SMITTEN. MARIE-THERESE LATER SAID HE TOOK HER BY THE ARM AND SAID: 'I AM PICASSO. YOU AND I ARE GOING TO GREAT THINGS TOGETHER.' ALTHOUGH STILL MARRIED TO HIS FIRST WIFE, RUSSIAN DANCER OLGA KHOKHLOVA, PICASSO BEGAN A COVERT AFFAIR WITH MARIE-THERESE, WHO LATER GAVE BIRTH TO THEIR DAUGHTER, MAYA OR MARIA DE LA CONCEPCION.

SOTHEBY'S PRESENTS PABLO PICASSO'S LA LECTURE BEFORE AUCTION

IN SEPTEMBER 1932, ALREADY A WORLD-FAMOUS ARTIST, PABLO PICASSO DROVE FROM PARIS TO ZURICH FOR THE OPENING OF A MEGA-EXHIBITION OF HIS WORKS THAT WAS TO MARK A TURNING POINT IN WESTERN CULTURAL HISTORY. ALTHOUGH HE CURATED THE EXHIBITS HIMSELF AT A LUXURY LAKESIDE HOTEL NEARBY FOR TWO DAYS, HOBNOBBING WITH ART CONNOISSEURS AND CRITICS, HE MYSTERIOUSLY NEVER WENT TO SEE THE SHOW AT THE CITY'S KUNSTHAUS MUSEUM. THIS AUTUMN, AND TO CELEBRATE ITS OWN CENTENARY, THE KUNSTHAUS HAS RECREATED THE LANDMARK EXHIBITION, OR SOMETHING UNDER HALF OF IT, AND IT HAS BEEN PULLING IN THE CROWDS. FOR THE ORIGINAL, THE THEN ALREADY 51 YEAR OLD PICASSO CHOSE THE 229 WORKS HIMSELF, PAINTINGS, LITHOGRAPHS AND A HANDFUL OF BRONZE SCULPTURES, TO BE DISPLAYED. 'IN EFFECT', SAYS TOBIA BEZZOLA WHO PUT TOGETHER THE NEW SHOW, 'HE CURATED THIS ONE TOO.' AT A TIME WHEN CONTEMPORARY ART WAS NORMALLY DISPLAYED IN PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL GALLERIES, THE 1932 EXHIBITION WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST RETROSPECTIVE OF A LIVING ARTIST TO BE PUT ON IN A MUSEUM, CULTURAL HISTORIANS SAY. COVERING THE SPANISH-BORN PICASSO'S OUTPUT FROM 1899, WHEN HE WAS AN 18 YEAR OLD PRODIGY IN BARCELONA, THROUGH THE PINK, BLUE, CUBIST, CONSTRUCTIVIST AND SEMI-SURREALIST PERIODS THAT FOLLOWED WHEN HE MOVED TO PARIS AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY, IT SET A TREND THAT SWEPT THE ART WORLD AFTER WORLD WAR II AND STILL DOMINATES IT. WITH ITS CATALOGS, IN CHEAP AND EXPENSIVE VERSIONS, ITS POSTERS AND PRESS RELEASES, THE FIRST KUNSTHAUS SHOW WAS A PROTOTYPE OF THE ART BLOCKBUSTERS THAT BOOST REVENUES FOR MAJOR AND MINOR MUSEUM AROUND THE WORLD TODAY. NOT THAT IT BROUGHT MUCH CASH IN THEN, A TIME OF DEEP ECONOMIC WOES AS THE WORLD MOVED INTO THE GREAT DEPRESSION OF THE 1930s, DESPITE, FOR THE TIME, AN IMPRESSIVE TOTAL OF 32,000 VISITORS DURING THE TWO MONTHS IT WAS ON. A REFLECTION OF THE CASH-STRAPPED AGE WAS THAT NONE OF THE CANVASES WHICH PICASSO OFFERED FOR SALE AS THE KUNSTHAUS WERE BOUGHT EXCEPT ONE, BY THE MUSEUM ITSELF. THAT CUBIST WORK, 'GUITAR ON A GUERIDON' OF 1915, IS ONE OF THE CENTRAL PIECES AT THE NEW SHOW, WHICH OPENED ON 15.OCTOBER, CLOSES ON 30.JANUARY AND HAS ALREADY HOSTED 250,000 VISITORS.

KUNSTHAUS MUSEUM PRESENTS PICASSO EXHIBITION

IN SEPTEMBER 1932, ALREADY A WORLD-FAMOUS ARTIST, PABLO PICASSO DROVE FROM PARIS TO ZURICH FOR THE OPENING OF A MEGA-EXHIBITION OF HIS WORKS THAT WAS TO MARK A TURNING POINT IN WESTERN CULTURAL HISTORY. ALTHOUGH HE CURATED THE EXHIBITS HIMSELF AT A LUXURY LAKESIDE HOTEL NEARBY FOR TWO DAYS, HOBNOBBING WITH ART CONNOISSEURS AND CRITICS, HE MYSTERIOUSLY NEVER WENT TO SEE THE SHOW AT THE CITY'S KUNSTHAUS MUSEUM. THIS AUTUMN, AND TO CELEBRATE ITS OWN CENTENARY, THE KUNSTHAUS HAS RECREATED THE LANDMARK EXHIBITION, OR SOMETHING UNDER HALF OF IT, AND IT HAS BEEN PULLING IN THE CROWDS. FOR THE ORIGINAL, THE THEN ALREADY 51 YEAR OLD PICASSO CHOSE THE 229 WORKS HIMSELF, PAINTINGS, LITHOGRAPHS AND A HANDFUL OF BRONZE SCULPTURES, TO BE DISPLAYED. 'IN EFFECT', SAYS TOBIA BEZZOLA WHO PUT TOGETHER THE NEW SHOW, 'HE CURATED THIS ONE TOO.' AT A TIME WHEN CONTEMPORARY ART WAS NORMALLY DISPLAYED IN PRIVATE AND COMMERCIAL GALLERIES, THE 1932 EXHIBITION WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST RETROSPECTIVE OF A LIVING ARTIST TO BE PUT ON IN A MUSEUM, CULTURAL HISTORIANS SAY. COVERING THE SPANISH-BORN PICASSO'S OUTPUT FROM 1899, WHEN HE WAS AN 18 YEAR OLD PRODIGY IN BARCELONA, THROUGH THE PINK, BLUE, CUBIST, CONSTRUCTIVIST AND SEMI-SURREALIST PERIODS THAT FOLLOWED WHEN HE MOVED TO PARIS AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY, IT SET A TREND THAT SWEPT THE ART WORLD AFTER WORLD WAR II AND STILL DOMINATES IT. WITH ITS CATALOGS, IN CHEAP AND EXPENSIVE VERSIONS, ITS POSTERS AND PRESS RELEASES, THE FIRST KUNSTHAUS SHOW WAS A PROTOTYPE OF THE ART BLOCKBUSTERS THAT BOOST REVENUES FOR MAJOR AND MINOR MUSEUM AROUND THE WORLD TODAY. NOT THAT IT BROUGHT MUCH CASH IN THEN, A TIME OF DEEP ECONOMIC WOES AS THE WORLD MOVED INTO THE GREAT DEPRESSION OF THE 1930s, DESPITE, FOR THE TIME, AN IMPRESSIVE TOTAL OF 32,000 VISITORS DURING THE TWO MONTHS IT WAS ON. A REFLECTION OF THE CASH-STRAPPED AGE WAS THAT NONE OF THE CANVASES WHICH PICASSO OFFERED FOR SALE AS THE KUNSTHAUS WERE BOUGHT EXCEPT ONE, BY THE MUSEUM ITSELF. THAT CUBIST WORK, 'GUITAR ON A GUERIDON' OF 1915, IS ONE OF THE CENTRAL PIECES AT THE NEW SHOW, WHICH OPENED ON 15.OCTOBER, CLOSES ON 30.JANUARY AND HAS ALREADY HOSTED 250,000 VISITORS.

KUNSTHAUS MUSEUM PRESENTS PICASSO EXHIBITION

PABLO PICASSO WAS BOTH HIGHLY PROLIFIC AND INFAMOUSLY GENEROUS WITH GIFTING HIS WORKS, BUT WAS HE ENOUGH OF A FREE SPIRIT TO GIVE AWAY HUNDREDS OF HIS ICONIC EARLY WORKS, AN INVALUABLE COLLECTION, TO HIS ELECTRICIAN. THAT QUESTION LIES AT THE HEART OF A COURT CASE OVER THE ORIGIN OF 271 PICASSO WORKS, A TREASURE TROVE OF ORIGINAL SKETCHES, PAINTINGS AND COLLAGES THAT WAS UNKNOWN TO THE ART WORLD A FEW MONTHS AGO AND UNVEILED FOR THE PUBLIC MONDAY. EXPERTS HAVE YET TO APPRAISE THE FULL COLLECTION, WHICH HAS BEEN PLACED UNDER LOCK AND KEY AFTER A JUDICIAL APPEAL BY PICASSO'S HEIRS. BUT THERE IS LITTLE DISPUTE SO FAR OVER ITS AUTHENTICITY. THE WORKS, MANY OF WHICH BELONG TO THE ARTIST'S BLUE AND CUBIST PERIODS, COULD FETCH MORE THAN $80 MILLION AT AUCTION. MOST MYSTERIOUS IS HOW SUCH AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION COULD HAVE WOUND UP IN THE HANDS OF A RETIRED ELECTRICIAN IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE WHO ONCE WORKED FOR THE PICASSO FAMILY, OR WHY HE CHOSE TO HOLD ONTO IT FOR SO MANY DECADES. 'WE HAVE QUESTIONS, LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE THE PAINTINGS CAME FROM', CLAUDE ANDRIEU, LEGAL COUNCIL FOR THE PICASSO FOUNDATION, TOLD REUTERS TELEVISION. 'WE ARE DISCOVERING NEW PIECES, COMPLETELY UNKNOWN PIECES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN PRINTED IN ANY BOOK.' THE MYSTERY BEGAN WHEN CLAUDE PICASSO, SON OF THE ARTIST AND HEAD OF THE FOUNDATION NAMED AFTER HIM, RECEIVED A LETTER FROM A MAN WHO SAID HE OWNED ORIGINAL PICASSO PICASSO PIECES AND WANTED TO HAVE THEM VERIFIED FOR AUTHENTICITY. PICASSO CONVINCED THE MAN TO BRING THE COLLECTION TO PARIS, SAYING HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO VERIFY IT FROM PHOTOGRAPHS. THE MAN ARRIVED BY CAR WITH THE PAINTINGS IN A SUITCASE AND LAID THEM ON A TABLE. 'I FELT A GREAT SURPRISE, NATURALLY, LOTS OF EMOTION AT THE DISCOVERY OF PIECES WITH WHICH WE WERE NOT FAMILIAR. BUT ALSO A DEEP DISTURBANCE', HE TOLD FRENCH DAILY LIBERATION. 'MANY OF THESE PIECES WERE NOT DATED, WHICH MEANS THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE STUDIO.' THE MAN IN QUESTION IS PIERRE LE GUENNEC, AN ELECTRICIAN IN HIS SEVENTIES WHO WORKED ON PICASSO'S PROPERTY IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE DURING THE 1970s. HE TOLD REUTERS TELEVISION THAT PICASSO'S WIFE GAVE HIM THE ARTWORKS. 'IT'S MADAME (PICASSO) WHO GAVE THEM. BUT IF MADAME GAVE THEM, MONSIEUR WAS AWARE OF IT. SHE WASN'T GOING TO DO IT JUST LIKE THAT, WAS SHE?' HE SAID, SPEAKING THROUGH A GATE IN FRONT OF HIS PROPERTY. 'WHAT DID YOU WANT ME TO DO WITH THEM?...THEY STAYED IN A BOX WITH OTHER BOXES THAT I HAVE, FROM MY JOB.' YET PICASSO'S HEIRS ARE NOT CONVINCED WITH HIS EXPLANATIONS. WHILE THE ARTIST WAS KNOWN TO DASH OUT SKETCHES ON NAPKINS AT RESTAURANTS AND MAKE SPONTANEOUS GIFTS TO FRIENDS, HE WOULD NOT HAVE SEPARATED WITH SUCH A LARGE STORE OF WORK, HIS SON TOLD LIBERATION. 'IT DOESN'T HOLD UP, FRANKLY', PICASSO SAID. ANDRIEU OF THE PICASSO FOUNDATION SAID THAT LE GUENNEC HAD CHANGED HIS STORY MANY TIMES, FIRST TELLING THEM HE HAD RECEIVED THE PAINTINGS FROM PICASSO HIMSELF, THEN PICASSO'S WIFE, AND ALTERNATELY IN A BOX OR A TRASH CAN. QUESTIONED BY POLICE, HE SAID THE PAINTINGS WERE GIVEN TO HIM BY PICASSO'S WIFE, WHO DIED IN 1986. LE GUENNEC DENIED STEALING THE PAINTINGS AND TOLD RTL RADIO HE DECIDED TO ASK ABOUT THEIR VALUE AS A POSSIBLE INHERITANCE FOR HIS CHILDREN. UNWILLING TO RISK LOSING THE WORKS, PICASSO'S HEIRS SUCCESSFULLY APPEALED TO A JUDGE TO HAVE THE WORKS PLACED UNDER LOCK AND KEY, WHERE EXPERTS CAN STUDY AND CARE FOR THEM. AMONG THE WORKS ARE NINE EXTREMELY RARE CUBIST COLLAGES, A WATERCOLOUR FROM PICASSO'S BLUE PERIOD, SEVERAL PAINTED HAND STUDIES, SOME 30 LITHOGRAPHS AND OVER 200 DRAWINGS, AS WELL AS PORTRAITS OF THE ARTIST'S FIRST WIFE, OLGA KHOKHLOVA. 'MR PICASSO IS ONLY INTERESTED IN THE HISTORY OF ART', ANDRIEU SAID. 'WE GOT THE PIECES SECURED, AND NOW IT IS FOR THE JUDGE TO DETERMINE HOW THE PIECES WERE OBTAINED.'

271 UNKNOWN PICASSO ARTWORKS RECENTLY UNVEILED

PABLO PICASSO WAS BOTH HIGHLY PROLIFIC AND INFAMOUSLY GENEROUS WITH GIFTING HIS WORKS, BUT WAS HE ENOUGH OF A FREE SPIRIT TO GIVE AWAY HUNDREDS OF HIS ICONIC EARLY WORKS, AN INVALUABLE COLLECTION, TO HIS ELECTRICIAN. THAT QUESTION LIES AT THE HEART OF A COURT CASE OVER THE ORIGIN OF 271 PICASSO WORKS, A TREASURE TROVE OF ORIGINAL SKETCHES, PAINTINGS AND COLLAGES THAT WAS UNKNOWN TO THE ART WORLD A FEW MONTHS AGO AND UNVEILED FOR THE PUBLIC MONDAY. EXPERTS HAVE YET TO APPRAISE THE FULL COLLECTION, WHICH HAS BEEN PLACED UNDER LOCK AND KEY AFTER A JUDICIAL APPEAL BY PICASSO'S HEIRS. BUT THERE IS LITTLE DISPUTE SO FAR OVER ITS AUTHENTICITY. THE WORKS, MANY OF WHICH BELONG TO THE ARTIST'S BLUE AND CUBIST PERIODS, COULD FETCH MORE THAN $80 MILLION AT AUCTION. MOST MYSTERIOUS IS HOW SUCH AN EXTENSIVE COLLECTION COULD HAVE WOUND UP IN THE HANDS OF A RETIRED ELECTRICIAN IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE WHO ONCE WORKED FOR THE PICASSO FAMILY, OR WHY HE CHOSE TO HOLD ONTO IT FOR SO MANY DECADES. 'WE HAVE QUESTIONS, LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE THE PAINTINGS CAME FROM', CLAUDE ANDRIEU, LEGAL COUNCIL FOR THE PICASSO FOUNDATION, TOLD REUTERS TELEVISION. 'WE ARE DISCOVERING NEW PIECES, COMPLETELY UNKNOWN PIECES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN PRINTED IN ANY BOOK.' THE MYSTERY BEGAN WHEN CLAUDE PICASSO, SON OF THE ARTIST AND HEAD OF THE FOUNDATION NAMED AFTER HIM, RECEIVED A LETTER FROM A MAN WHO SAID HE OWNED ORIGINAL PICASSO PICASSO PIECES AND WANTED TO HAVE THEM VERIFIED FOR AUTHENTICITY. PICASSO CONVINCED THE MAN TO BRING THE COLLECTION TO PARIS, SAYING HE WOULD BE UNABLE TO VERIFY IT FROM PHOTOGRAPHS. THE MAN ARRIVED BY CAR WITH THE PAINTINGS IN A SUITCASE AND LAID THEM ON A TABLE. 'I FELT A GREAT SURPRISE, NATURALLY, LOTS OF EMOTION AT THE DISCOVERY OF PIECES WITH WHICH WE WERE NOT FAMILIAR. BUT ALSO A DEEP DISTURBANCE', HE TOLD FRENCH DAILY LIBERATION. 'MANY OF THESE PIECES WERE NOT DATED, WHICH MEANS THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE STUDIO.' THE MAN IN QUESTION IS PIERRE LE GUENNEC, AN ELECTRICIAN IN HIS SEVENTIES WHO WORKED ON PICASSO'S PROPERTY IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE DURING THE 1970s. HE TOLD REUTERS TELEVISION THAT PICASSO'S WIFE GAVE HIM THE ARTWORKS. 'IT'S MADAME (PICASSO) WHO GAVE THEM. BUT IF MADAME GAVE THEM, MONSIEUR WAS AWARE OF IT. SHE WASN'T GOING TO DO IT JUST LIKE THAT, WAS SHE?' HE SAID, SPEAKING THROUGH A GATE IN FRONT OF HIS PROPERTY. 'WHAT DID YOU WANT ME TO DO WITH THEM?...THEY STAYED IN A BOX WITH OTHER BOXES THAT I HAVE, FROM MY JOB.' YET PICASSO'S HEIRS ARE NOT CONVINCED WITH HIS EXPLANATIONS. WHILE THE ARTIST WAS KNOWN TO DASH OUT SKETCHES ON NAPKINS AT RESTAURANTS AND MAKE SPONTANEOUS GIFTS TO FRIENDS, HE WOULD NOT HAVE SEPARATED WITH SUCH A LARGE STORE OF WORK, HIS SON TOLD LIBERATION. 'IT DOESN'T HOLD UP, FRANKLY', PICASSO SAID. ANDRIEU OF THE PICASSO FOUNDATION SAID THAT LE GUENNEC HAD CHANGED HIS STORY MANY TIMES, FIRST TELLING THEM HE HAD RECEIVED THE PAINTINGS FROM PICASSO HIMSELF, THEN PICASSO'S WIFE, AND ALTERNATELY IN A BOX OR A TRASH CAN. QUESTIONED BY POLICE, HE SAID THE PAINTINGS WERE GIVEN TO HIM BY PICASSO'S WIFE, WHO DIED IN 1986. LE GUENNEC DENIED STEALING THE PAINTINGS AND TOLD RTL RADIO HE DECIDED TO ASK ABOUT THEIR VALUE AS A POSSIBLE INHERITANCE FOR HIS CHILDREN. UNWILLING TO RISK LOSING THE WORKS, PICASSO'S HEIRS SUCCESSFULLY APPEALED TO A JUDGE TO HAVE THE WORKS PLACED UNDER LOCK AND KEY, WHERE EXPERTS CAN STUDY AND CARE FOR THEM. AMONG THE WORKS ARE NINE EXTREMELY RARE CUBIST COLLAGES, A WATERCOLOUR FROM PICASSO'S BLUE PERIOD, SEVERAL PAINTED HAND STUDIES, SOME 30 LITHOGRAPHS AND OVER 200 DRAWINGS, AS WELL AS PORTRAITS OF THE ARTIST'S FIRST WIFE, OLGA KHOKHLOVA. 'MR PICASSO IS ONLY INTERESTED IN THE HISTORY OF ART', ANDRIEU SAID. 'WE GOT THE PIECES SECURED, AND NOW IT IS FOR THE JUDGE TO DETERMINE HOW THE PIECES WERE OBTAINED.'

271 UNKNOWN PICASSO ARTWORKS RECENTLY UNVEILED

THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THE MOST IMPORTANT EXHIBITION IN ITS HISTORY, 'PICASSO: MASTERPIECES FROM THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS'. VMFA IS THE EXCLUSIVE EAST COAST VENUE FOR THE EXHIBITION'S SEVEN CITY INTERNATIONAL TOUR. THE EXHIBITION, WHICH WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 19.FEBRUARY.2011 THROUGH 15.MAY.2011, IS CO-ORGANIZED BY THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS AND THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. DRAWN FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO IN PARIS, THE LARGEST AND MOST SIGNIFICANT REPOSITORY OF THE ARTIST'S WORK IN THE WORLD, THE EXHIBITION REPRESENTS WORKS PRODUCED DURING EVERY MAJOR ARTISTIC PERIOD OF PABLO PICASSO'S EIGHT-DECADE CAREER. IT INCLUDES 176 WORKS FROM PICASSO'S PERSONAL COLLECTION, ART THAT HE KEPT FOR HIMSELF WITH THE PURPOSE OF SHAPING HIS OWN LEGACY. IN ADDITION TO SHOWCASING SOME OF PICASSO'S MOST OUTSTANDING WORKS, THE EXHIBITION TELLS A COMPELLING STORY ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARTIST'S CAREER, HIS ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS, AND HIS PROFOUND IMPACT ON MODERN ART. THE EXHIBITION WILL SHOWCASE MOMENTS AND ART THE DEFINED PICASSO'S EARLY CAREER, INCLUDING A DEATHBED PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST'S CLOSE FRIEND CARLOS CASAGEMAS. HIS FRIEND'S SUICIDE PARTIALLY INFLUENCED PICASSO'S FAMED BLUE PERIOD, DEFINED BY SOMBER PAINTINGS IN SHADES OF BLUE AND GREEN. CELESTINA (THE WOMAN WITH ONE EYE), A MASTERPIECE FROM THE BLUE PERIOD, WILL BE FEATURED IN THE EXHIBITION.

VMFA TO PRESENT 'PICASSO: MASTERPIECES FROM THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS'

THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THE MOST IMPORTANT EXHIBITION IN ITS HISTORY, 'PICASSO: MASTERPIECES FROM THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS'. VMFA IS THE EXCLUSIVE EAST COAST VENUE FOR THE EXHIBITION'S SEVEN CITY INTERNATIONAL TOUR. THE EXHIBITION, WHICH WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 19.FEBRUARY.2011 THROUGH 15.MAY.2011, IS CO-ORGANIZED BY THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS AND THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. DRAWN FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO IN PARIS, THE LARGEST AND MOST SIGNIFICANT REPOSITORY OF THE ARTIST'S WORK IN THE WORLD, THE EXHIBITION REPRESENTS WORKS PRODUCED DURING EVERY MAJOR ARTISTIC PERIOD OF PABLO PICASSO'S EIGHT-DECADE CAREER. IT INCLUDES 176 WORKS FROM PICASSO'S PERSONAL COLLECTION, ART THAT HE KEPT FOR HIMSELF WITH THE PURPOSE OF SHAPING HIS OWN LEGACY. IN ADDITION TO SHOWCASING SOME OF PICASSO'S MOST OUTSTANDING WORKS, THE EXHIBITION TELLS A COMPELLING STORY ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARTIST'S CAREER, HIS ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS, AND HIS PROFOUND IMPACT ON MODERN ART. THE EXHIBITION WILL SHOWCASE MOMENTS AND ART THE DEFINED PICASSO'S EARLY CAREER, INCLUDING A DEATHBED PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST'S CLOSE FRIEND CARLOS CASAGEMAS. HIS FRIEND'S SUICIDE PARTIALLY INFLUENCED PICASSO'S FAMED BLUE PERIOD, DEFINED BY SOMBER PAINTINGS IN SHADES OF BLUE AND GREEN. CELESTINA (THE WOMAN WITH ONE EYE), A MASTERPIECE FROM THE BLUE PERIOD, WILL BE FEATURED IN THE EXHIBITION.

VMFA TO PRESENT 'PICASSO: MASTERPIECES FROM THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS'

A COLLECTION OF DRAWINGS, PASTELS AND CERAMICS BY THE FRENCH POET, FILMMAKER, PLAYWRIGHT AND NOVELIST, JEAN COCTEAU, BROUGHT TOGETHER BY THE LATE BUSINESS TYCOON AND FOUNDER OF GUCCI TIMEPIECES, SEVERIN WUNDERMAN, MADE A REMARKABLE £430,000 RECENTLY AT BONHAM'S, KNIGHTSBRIDGE, WITH 90% SOLD BY VALUE. JUST AN EARLIER, A SELECTION OF PRINTS, CERAMICS AND SILVER BY THE ARTISTIC MASTER OF THE 20th CENTURY, PABLO PICASSO, FETCHED A TOTAL OF £220,812, WITH 85% SOLD BY VALUE. COCTEAU MET PICASSO IN 1915 AND THE PAIR REMAINED CLOSE FRIENDS FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS. THEIR ARTISTIC RELATIONSHIP CAN BE CHARACTERIZED BY TWO COMMENTS: ACCORDING TO ARNAUD, PICASSO WAS 'FOREVER AT THE HEART OF COCTEAU'S CREATIVE PANTHEON', WHILE PICASSO WAS ONCE HEARD TO COMMENT THAT 'COCTEAU IS THE TAIL OF MY COMET'. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SALE WERE TWO SILVER PLATES THAT HE CREATED IN THE MID 1950s. JOUEUR DE FLUTE ET CAVALIER FETCHED £21,600 AND DORMEUR SOLD FOR £19,200. THE HIGHEST SELLING CERAMIC WAS A PLATTER ENTITLED TETE DE CHEVRE DE PROFIL WHICH SOLD FOR £12,000 AND THE TOP SELLING PRINT WAS LE CAVALIER, WHICH FETCHED £6,240. THE BEST-SELLER IN THE COCTEAU SALE WAS JEUNE FILLE DE MILLY WHICH WAS PAINTED AT THE HOUSE BOUGHT WITH JEAN MARAIS IN MILLY-LA-FORET IN 1947. IT SOLD FOR £48,000 AGAINST A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £8,000 TO £12,000. ALTHOUGH FAMOUS FOR HIS FILMS (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ORPHEUS), NOVELS (LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES) AND PLAYS (LA BEL INDIFFERENT), COCTEAU ALSO PRODUCED THOUSANDS OF ARTWORKS IN HIS LIFETIME, IN PART BECAUSE HE FOUND ART THERAPEUTIC. WORKING IN A VARIETY OF MEDIUMS, FROM CERAMICS TO OILS AND PASTELS, HE COMMENTED: 'ART IS NOT A PASTIME BUT A PRIESTHOOD.' USING A RANGE OF CELEBRITY FRIENDS AS SUBJECTS, FROM ARTISTS AND WRITERS, SUCH AS PICASSO, JEAN HUGO AND GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE, TO STARS OF THE THEATRICAL WORLDS INCLUDING DIAGHILEV, JOSEPHINE BAKER AND EDITH PIAF, HIS IRONIC CARICATURES GIVE A SNAPSHOT OF THE BEST OF THE EARLY 20th CENTURY ARTISTIC OUTPUT THAT REVOLVED AROUND COCTEAU AND HIS CIRCLE. THEY ALSO PROVIDED AMUSEMENT TO MANY, INCLUDING COCO CHANEL WHO SUGGESTED HE TURN HIS HAND TO FASHION DESIGN. WUNDERMAN WAS HIS BIGGEST FAN AND IS CONSIDERED TO HAVE BEEN THE WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTOR OF WORKS BY JEAN COCTEAU. HE KEPT THE MAJORITY IN HIS COTE D'AZUR CHATEAU WHICH INCLUDED A SUITE IN WHICH THE ENTIRE SITTING AREA AND BEDROOM WERE COVERED FROM FLOOR TO CEILING IN THE ARTIST'S DRAWINGS. PROCEEDS FROM THE JEAN COCTEAU SALE GO TO THE SEVERIN WUNDERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION, A CHARITY THAT SUPPORTS RESEARCH INTO INCURABLE DISEASES.

COCTEAU AND PICASSO ARTWORKS MAKE OVER £500,000

A COLLECTION OF DRAWINGS, PASTELS AND CERAMICS BY THE FRENCH POET, FILMMAKER, PLAYWRIGHT AND NOVELIST, JEAN COCTEAU, BROUGHT TOGETHER BY THE LATE BUSINESS TYCOON AND FOUNDER OF GUCCI TIMEPIECES, SEVERIN WUNDERMAN, MADE A REMARKABLE £430,000 RECENTLY AT BONHAM'S, KNIGHTSBRIDGE, WITH 90% SOLD BY VALUE. JUST AN EARLIER, A SELECTION OF PRINTS, CERAMICS AND SILVER BY THE ARTISTIC MASTER OF THE 20th CENTURY, PABLO PICASSO, FETCHED A TOTAL OF £220,812, WITH 85% SOLD BY VALUE. COCTEAU MET PICASSO IN 1915 AND THE PAIR REMAINED CLOSE FRIENDS FOR NEARLY 50 YEARS. THEIR ARTISTIC RELATIONSHIP CAN BE CHARACTERIZED BY TWO COMMENTS: ACCORDING TO ARNAUD, PICASSO WAS 'FOREVER AT THE HEART OF COCTEAU'S CREATIVE PANTHEON', WHILE PICASSO WAS ONCE HEARD TO COMMENT THAT 'COCTEAU IS THE TAIL OF MY COMET'. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SALE WERE TWO SILVER PLATES THAT HE CREATED IN THE MID 1950s. JOUEUR DE FLUTE ET CAVALIER FETCHED £21,600 AND DORMEUR SOLD FOR £19,200. THE HIGHEST SELLING CERAMIC WAS A PLATTER ENTITLED TETE DE CHEVRE DE PROFIL WHICH SOLD FOR £12,000 AND THE TOP SELLING PRINT WAS LE CAVALIER, WHICH FETCHED £6,240. THE BEST-SELLER IN THE COCTEAU SALE WAS JEUNE FILLE DE MILLY WHICH WAS PAINTED AT THE HOUSE BOUGHT WITH JEAN MARAIS IN MILLY-LA-FORET IN 1947. IT SOLD FOR £48,000 AGAINST A PRE-SALE ESTIMATE OF £8,000 TO £12,000. ALTHOUGH FAMOUS FOR HIS FILMS (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ORPHEUS), NOVELS (LES ENFANTS TERRIBLES) AND PLAYS (LA BEL INDIFFERENT), COCTEAU ALSO PRODUCED THOUSANDS OF ARTWORKS IN HIS LIFETIME, IN PART BECAUSE HE FOUND ART THERAPEUTIC. WORKING IN A VARIETY OF MEDIUMS, FROM CERAMICS TO OILS AND PASTELS, HE COMMENTED: 'ART IS NOT A PASTIME BUT A PRIESTHOOD.' USING A RANGE OF CELEBRITY FRIENDS AS SUBJECTS, FROM ARTISTS AND WRITERS, SUCH AS PICASSO, JEAN HUGO AND GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE, TO STARS OF THE THEATRICAL WORLDS INCLUDING DIAGHILEV, JOSEPHINE BAKER AND EDITH PIAF, HIS IRONIC CARICATURES GIVE A SNAPSHOT OF THE BEST OF THE EARLY 20th CENTURY ARTISTIC OUTPUT THAT REVOLVED AROUND COCTEAU AND HIS CIRCLE. THEY ALSO PROVIDED AMUSEMENT TO MANY, INCLUDING COCO CHANEL WHO SUGGESTED HE TURN HIS HAND TO FASHION DESIGN. WUNDERMAN WAS HIS BIGGEST FAN AND IS CONSIDERED TO HAVE BEEN THE WORLD'S LARGEST COLLECTOR OF WORKS BY JEAN COCTEAU. HE KEPT THE MAJORITY IN HIS COTE D'AZUR CHATEAU WHICH INCLUDED A SUITE IN WHICH THE ENTIRE SITTING AREA AND BEDROOM WERE COVERED FROM FLOOR TO CEILING IN THE ARTIST'S DRAWINGS. PROCEEDS FROM THE JEAN COCTEAU SALE GO TO THE SEVERIN WUNDERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION, A CHARITY THAT SUPPORTS RESEARCH INTO INCURABLE DISEASES.

COCTEAU AND PICASSO ARTWORKS MAKE OVER £500,000

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF FINE ART ANNOUNCED THAT THE LANDMARK EXHIBITION 'PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART' DREW 703,256 VISITORS DURING ITS 17 WEEK PRESENTATION AT THE MUSEUM WHICH ENDS SUNDAY, MAKING IT THE MOST HIGHLY ATTENDED SHOW SINCE 2001. ON VIEW FROM 19.APRIL THROUGH 22.AUGUST, PICASSO BECAME THE SEVENTH MOST HIGHLY ATTENDED EXHIBITION AT THE METROPOLITAN SINCE THE MUSEUM FIRST BEGAN TRACKING EXHIBITION ATTENDANCE NEARLY 50 YEARS AGO. IT WAS THE FIRST EXHIBITION TO FOCUS EXCLUSIVELY ON THE REMARKABLE ARRAY OF WORKS BY PABLO PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN'S COLLECTION. 'WE ARE ESPECIALLY PLEASED AND PROUD THAT A SPECIAL EXHIBITION FROM THE MET'S OWN SUPERB COLLECTIONS HAS EARNED SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY PUBLIC RESPONSE. THE HEARTENING ATTENDANCE AT PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IS A TESTAMENT NOT ONLY TO THE ENDURING POPULARITY OF THIS ICONIC ARTIST, BUT TO THE RICHNESS AND DEPTH OF THE MUSEUM'S HOLDINGS OF HIS WORKS, AS WELL THE FRESH SCHOLARSHIP AND PATIENT CONSERVATION WORK BROUGHT TO BEAR BY THE MUSEUM'S PROFESSIONAL STAFF IN ORDER TO STUDY AND MOUNT THIS ONCE IN A LIFETIME SHOW. WE ARE GRATEFUL INDEED FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION, AS WE ARE TO THE PUBLIC FOR ITS EXTRAORDINARY SHOW OF INTEREST AND SUPPORT', SAID A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE MUSEUM IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART FEATURED 300 WORKS BY PICASSO AND PROVIDED AN UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW TOGETHER ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS OF THE ARTIST'S WORK. THE EXHIBITION REVEALED THE MUSEUM'S COMPLETE HOLDINGS OF THE ARTIST'S PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND CERAMICS, NEVER BEFORE SEEN IN THEIR ENTIRETY, AS WELL AS AN EXTENSIVE SELECTION OF PRINTS. AMONG THE MASTERPIECES ON VIEW IN THE EXHIBITION WERE: SEATED HARLEQUIN (1951), THE BLIND MAN'S MEAL (1903), THE ACTOR (1904-05), AT THE LAPIN AGILE (1905), GERTRUDE STEIN (1905-06), STANDING FEMALE NUDE (1910), HEAD OF A WOMAN (1922) AND THE DREAMER (1932).

THE MET SETS RECORD ATTENDANCE WITH PICASSO EXHIBITION

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF FINE ART ANNOUNCED THAT THE LANDMARK EXHIBITION 'PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART' DREW 703,256 VISITORS DURING ITS 17 WEEK PRESENTATION AT THE MUSEUM WHICH ENDS SUNDAY, MAKING IT THE MOST HIGHLY ATTENDED SHOW SINCE 2001. ON VIEW FROM 19.APRIL THROUGH 22.AUGUST, PICASSO BECAME THE SEVENTH MOST HIGHLY ATTENDED EXHIBITION AT THE METROPOLITAN SINCE THE MUSEUM FIRST BEGAN TRACKING EXHIBITION ATTENDANCE NEARLY 50 YEARS AGO. IT WAS THE FIRST EXHIBITION TO FOCUS EXCLUSIVELY ON THE REMARKABLE ARRAY OF WORKS BY PABLO PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN'S COLLECTION. 'WE ARE ESPECIALLY PLEASED AND PROUD THAT A SPECIAL EXHIBITION FROM THE MET'S OWN SUPERB COLLECTIONS HAS EARNED SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY PUBLIC RESPONSE. THE HEARTENING ATTENDANCE AT PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IS A TESTAMENT NOT ONLY TO THE ENDURING POPULARITY OF THIS ICONIC ARTIST, BUT TO THE RICHNESS AND DEPTH OF THE MUSEUM'S HOLDINGS OF HIS WORKS, AS WELL THE FRESH SCHOLARSHIP AND PATIENT CONSERVATION WORK BROUGHT TO BEAR BY THE MUSEUM'S PROFESSIONAL STAFF IN ORDER TO STUDY AND MOUNT THIS ONCE IN A LIFETIME SHOW. WE ARE GRATEFUL INDEED FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION, AS WE ARE TO THE PUBLIC FOR ITS EXTRAORDINARY SHOW OF INTEREST AND SUPPORT', SAID A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE MUSEUM IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. PICASSO IN THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART FEATURED 300 WORKS BY PICASSO AND PROVIDED AN UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW TOGETHER ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST IMPORTANT COLLECTIONS OF THE ARTIST'S WORK. THE EXHIBITION REVEALED THE MUSEUM'S COMPLETE HOLDINGS OF THE ARTIST'S PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS AND CERAMICS, NEVER BEFORE SEEN IN THEIR ENTIRETY, AS WELL AS AN EXTENSIVE SELECTION OF PRINTS. AMONG THE MASTERPIECES ON VIEW IN THE EXHIBITION WERE: SEATED HARLEQUIN (1951), THE BLIND MAN'S MEAL (1903), THE ACTOR (1904-05), AT THE LAPIN AGILE (1905), GERTRUDE STEIN (1905-06), STANDING FEMALE NUDE (1910), HEAD OF A WOMAN (1922) AND THE DREAMER (1932).

THE MET SETS RECORD ATTENDANCE WITH PICASSO EXHIBITION

Modern art, incorporates canvas art, sculpture, print, and all the other new forms of twentieth century art. Scholars and historians rarely agree, as to the exact point when modern art began. Therefore, the term generally refers to all art, produced in America and Europe, during the nineteen hundreds. In addition to a hand full of other countries, which were primarily influenced by the West. This was a time when Artists were introducing new materials, new techniques and new concepts.

It was the intention of those Artists to break free from the restraints of the 'establishment', and redefine the boundaries of art. Without doubt, one of the most important and innovative 'inventions' of twentieth century art was Cubism, and the concepts of abstraction. Pablo Picasso is considered to be, probably, the most important artist of the twentieth century. His work was highly influential, and he is regarded as the creator of Cubism.

Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, mainland Spain. Pablo Picasso was a child prodigy, by the age of fourteen his technical skill was incredible. In 1895, his father became an art teacher at the Academy of Fine Art in La Coruña. Picasso was entered into the advanced classes quickly. He completed the entrance exam, which took most at least a month, in one day. Two years later, he began to study at the Madrid Academy. Picasso left soon after, dissatisfied, and returned home. Between 1900 and 1904, Picasso shifted between Paris and La Coruña. After four years of moving back and forth, Picasso finally made his home in Paris. This would be where he would live and work for most of his life.

From 1904, Picasso encountered many different art forms, showing great interest in the style of Henri Toulouse and African Art. Since his first visit to Paris, Picasso loved to paint the Parisian nightlife and café scenes, which generally, included a menagerie of circus performers and social outcasts. Some feel that Picasso was displaying empathy with the entertainers and outcasts he portrayed, like the Clown. The Clown is recognized inside the Big Ring, yet falls into obscurity, the second he removes his Clown face. Society pays the Clown to be entertained. Nobody is particularly interested in his real face, or feelings. Before Artists broke free of those Artistic restrictions, which had previously bound them, there was little difference between the Clown, and the Artist.

Towards the end of 1905, Picasso's work passed through many rapid changes in style. There was a notable withdraw from emotional content. The melancholy thoughts of the outcast, was replaced by reason. Picasso began to study early century sculpture from the Iberian peninsula. His fascination with Iberian sculpture reflected his increased interest in simplified, geometric forms. Picasso's had a preference for experimentation. He also had a keen interest in Art, which lay outside the realms of the establishment. By 1907 he had produced one of the most revolutionary oil paintings of the twentieth century; Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. The influence of both his native Iberian sculpture, and African Art is paramount in this work. The painting is greatly simplified, with oval forms, the faces and figures of this painting are incongruent. This piece was extremely adventurous for 1907.

The incongruities of Les Demoiselles d'Avignon proved too much for many of Picasso's contemporaries. Matisse is even believed to have accused Picasso of ridiculing the new, modern art movement. Curiously, today, many art historians and scholars regard this piece as the beginning of Cubism. The year of 1907 is also known to many as Picasso's African period. At first, Picasso rebuked the analogy of his work with African Art. However, later, he agreed that African Art had been greatly influential upon him, and his work. While some scholars believe that African Art was the primary catalyst for this rapid and drastic change in form and style, others believe it was Cézanne who provided this catalyst.

From 1907, until around 1917, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque developed and experimented with their new art concept, dubbed by the critics as Cubism. Most art historians and scholars will usually split that development into two dynamic stages. The first stage is referred to as Analytical Cubism. This describes the method of dissecting three dimensional forms, depicting them as multiple geometric planes. Synthetic Cubism sought to achieve the opposite. Instead of dissecting the form, they would create it using geometric planes. Picasso worked much, throughout his life, with the human figure and still life. Even today, we continue to analyze and enjoy his work. Without doubt, he was one of the most influential and innovative artists, of twentieth century modern art.

Picasso - Father of Modern Art