Picasso Celebration: The Collection In A New Light!

Go behind the scenes and learn more about the colourful, immersive new exhibition at the Musée Picasso Paris curated by Cécile Debray and Joanne Snrech under the artistic direction of Paul himself.

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FIGURE I: Portrait de Marie-Thérèse [Portrait of Marie-Thérèse], [PARIS], 6 JANUARY 1937. FIGURE II: Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe: homme assis accoudé [The Luncheon on the Grass: Seated Man Leaning on his Elbow], MOUGINS, 26 AUGUST 1962; Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe: homme assis accoudé [The Luncheon on the Grass: Seated Man Leaning on his Elbow] MOUGINS, AUGUST 1962; Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe d’après Manet [The Luncheon on the Grass after Manet] VAUVENARGUES, 3 MARCH–20 AUGUST 1960

“Every child is an artist,” Pablo Picasso famously said. “The problem is to remain an artist once they grow up.” While Paul Smith is far too humble to make comparisons between himself and Picasso – it is impossible not to see parallels in their shared childlike approach to creativity. And it’s that approach that Paul took when he was asked by the Musee Picasso in Paris to artistic direct a new immersive exhibition of the legendary artist’s work.

Five years in the making and held to mark the 50th anniversary of the artist’s passing, Picasso Celebration: The Collection In A New Light! officially opens at the Paris institution on 7 March 2023. Curated by the museum’s president Cécile Debray and Joanne Snrech, under the artistic direction of Paul himself, the exhibition is a truly unique showcase of the artist’s sweeping oeuvre – with a twist. 

Picasso Celebration: The Collection In A New Light!

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There is a humour and playfulness throughout while maintaining the upmost respect for Picasso’s unparalleled mind and work.

Paul Smith

“Witty and uninhibited, Paul Smith proposes unusual juxtapositions and highlights unexpected details. Through his eyes, we rediscover a Picasso who was inventive, funny and perpetually experimenting,” Cécile, the president of the Musée Picasso and curator, explains. “This lover of colour who is fascinated by the world of the spectacle and by everyday objects – a constant source of inspiration – he sees in the artist’s approach numerous echoes of his own relationship to things and images.”

Ultimately, it represents the works of Picasso as seen through Paul’s ever-curious eyes – “in a new light” as the title suggests ­– but not without a great deal of reverence for the artist himself. “The process was incredibly spontaneous, fast-paced, and instinctive. If Picasso had been alive today, I think he would’ve been curious about modern approaches to communication and presentation and that’s something I’ve tried to capture in the different rooms throughout the exhibition,” Paul says. “There is a humour and playfulness throughout while maintaining the upmost respect for Picasso’s unparalleled mind and work.”

“For obvious reasons, traditional exhibitions tend to present works in an objective way – but I wanted to fully embrace the subjective here, while remaining deferential to Picasso’s extraordinary life and legacy,” Paul says. “The rooms very much represent my interpretation of his work – and how I’ve been inspired by it throughout my career.”

On that note, it was also important to Paul, Cécile and the museum to include contemporary pieces to underline the artist’s lasting impact in the art and design world. To that end, the exhibition also highlights the work of contemporary living artists Guillermo Kuitca, Obi Okigbo, Mickalene Thomas and Chéri Samba, which are presented alongside a wealth of Picasso’s masterpieces to contextualise and, in some cases, challenge, his legacy.

 “Overwhelmingly, it’s a sense of playfulness and joy that I wanted to impart with this project. That, after all, is how I’ve always approached art and design,” Paul says. “I hope it’s something that will be enjoyed by those familiar with Picasso’s work as much as those who have never seen it before. It really is the work in a new light.”

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Picasso Celebration: The Collection In A New Light! is open from 7 March – 27 August 2023 at Musée Picasso Paris. The exhibition has been made possible by the generous support of Phillips, Farrow & Ball and Natasha and François-Xavier de Mallmann.

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Published: 06.03.23

Words: Molly Isabella Smith