Yesterday, I met Picasso

Yesterday, I finally met Picasso. Oh sure, I’d heard of him; we have some mutual friends. His name was always popping up. But yesterday, I finally got to put a face with a name, to be specific, 176 faces – faces that the artist himself had lovingly curated over the span of his entire career in order to shape his legacy. Well played, Pablo.

February 18, 2011; 11:58 AM • by Stephanie Ganz

[related ids=”37135,37465,37412,37459,37523”]More arts and culture![/related]

It was thanks to my new-ish pal, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, that our introduction took place. Throughout its 75-year history, The VMFA has been dedicated to its mission to “enrich the lives of us all.” Their reward – an epic, not-to-be-missed exhibition of pivotal works from the 20th century’s most iconic and influential artist.

The exhibition follows a roughly linear path, while Picasso himself did anything but. As I made my way from one gallery to the next, an idea of the depth and breadth of Picasso’s career began to emerge. These are not just the staid images of paintings I’d seen in textbooks: This collection is an organic expression of the artist’s progression through styles and mediums over 8 decades. The collection provides stunning examples from each stop along Picasso’s artistic tour – The Blue Period, characterized by lonely portraits of marginalized figures, such as Celestina (The Woman with One Eye;) the Rose Period; Cubism, a movement the artist co-founded; the return to Classicism; and later works, like The Goat, a playful sculpture of found materials that captures the sense of happiness Picasso found in his later life.

Every media outlet in Richmond and many across the state have made the case that this exhibition is a landmark for the VMFA and Virginia. One visit to the museum is all it takes to elucidate why that’s so, but one visit may simply not be enough. After spending the better part of my morning totally absorbed in Picasso, my only thought upon leaving was, “I will be visiting you again.”

For me to try to say something new about one of the most interesting, important figures in history would be an act in hubris. Fortunately, the Musee National Picasso, Paris; the VMFA; and Picasso have done my work for me. The exhibition has its own voice with the inflection of Picasso and the deep tone of history. It is a voice that spoke to me as I meandered among the paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photographs, and seemed to say, “this Picasso fellow is a pretty big deal.”