A Tate Modern exhibition will display work from one of Picasso’s most erotic periods from 8 March-9 September 2018.
Billed to be one of Tate Modern’s most significant shows to date, Picasso 1932 – Love, Fame, Tragedy—his first solo exhibition at the gallery—will comprise some of the Spanish-born artist’s most inventive works.
It will bring viewers face-to-face with more than 100 paintings, drawings and sculptures, mixed with family photographs and glimpses into his personal life.
This highly anticipated exhibition, which arrives from the Musée national Picasso-Paris, promises to strip away the enigma enshrouding Picasso and bring the audience closer to the artist than ever before. The works on display will pay homage his unceasing powers of invention. The result will be a mausoleum to his creative spirit.
1932—Picasso’s annus mirabilis—was an immensely creative time in the life of the 20th century’s most influential artist. It was, therefore, a monumental period within the art world as a whole. Driven by infatuation, Picasso produced some of the most erotically charged artwork of his career during this phase.
Curated chronologically, the Tate Modern show will unearth Picasso’s ‘year of wonders’. Three protagonists take centre stage: Olga (Picasso’s wife), Marie-Thérèse Walter (Picasso’s mistress) and Picasso himself.
The portraits of Walter will feature among the most provocative on display. The highlight, though, will be Le Rêve (1932), pictured above. This vibrant oil painting depicts Walter asleep; though the scene’s apparent innocence is jarred upon spotting the erect penis that makes up her upturned face. Other paintings of Walter exude unfettered sexual energy, providing a window into Picasso’s womanizing soul.
Captivated by his muse—the 17-year-old Walter—Picasso’s dizzying passion permeates these extraordinary works of art. His lust for his young mistress is almost tangible; his visceral energy emerges forth and strikes the viewer like a bolt of lightning.
Curated by Achim Borchardt-Hume, Director of Exhibitions with Nancy Ireson, Curator, International Art, Laura Bruni and Juliette Rizzi, Assistant Curators, Tate Modern.
The exhibition is organised by Tate Modern in collaboration with Musée national Picasso-Paris.
If you enjoyed reading this article, click here to find out more about Picasso and the Spanish Masters, an audiovisual exhibition in Paris.
