Picasso Exhibit

The Picasso Exhibit will be at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia through May 15, 2011.  The exhibit is on loan from the Musee National Picasso, Paris.  On a recent Saturday, I enjoyed the exhibit with my family. 

Pablo Picasso was born in Spain in 1881, but lived in Paris for most of his life where he was an important member of the avant-garde society which grew in the early part of the twentieth century.  This group of artists and writers, who revolved mostly around the poet Gertrude Stein, was engaged in exploring new forms of art in painting, sculpture, and literature as well as living by new and different rules for behavior.

The exhibit is hung chronologically, showing Picasso’s progression from one style to another.  Although Picasso is credited with “inventing” Cubism, the style for which he is best known, he was equally skillful in other styles such as realism, collage and portraiture.  Not only was he a famous painter, but he was also a talented sculptor.

For a classroom study on famous artists or art history and appreciation, here are some books which will be helpful.

Pablo Picasso: Breaking All the Rules.  True Kelley.  Penguin.  2002.  Written and illustrated in the form of a child’s report.

Pablo Picasso.  Frances Lincoln.  2006.  6 sheets of re-usable stickers.  Graphically illustrates Picasso’s use of cubes and other shapes in his art.

Picasso:  Soul on Fire.  Rick Jacobson.  Illustrated by Laura Fernandez & Rick Jacobson.  2004.  Illustrated juvenile biography including reproductions of Picasso’s work.

This exhibit is well worth a visit by both adults and young people--Wilma Snyder.