Works spanning the career of Pablo Picasso will be on show for Victorians when the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibition The Picasso Century opens at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in June.
Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson visited the NGV today to announce the blockbuster exhibition that charts Picasso’s extraordinary career, alongside the works of almost 60 other artists of his time including Georges Braque, Salvador Dalí, Henri Matisse and Dorothea Tanning.
The exhibition will feature more than 70 of Picasso’s works and over 100 pieces by other ground-breaking artists, including many never before seen in Australia.
The Picasso Century takes visitors through periods of Picasso’s art and career exploring Cubism, Surrealism and the Blue Period, while connecting the Spaniard’s iconic creations to the creative community and world around him.
The Picasso Century is the latest exhibition in the Victorian Government’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series which has brought major international art exhibitions exclusively to Melbourne since 2004.
The series has welcomed millions of local, interstate and international visitors since its inception and has featured treasures from the best galleries, museums and collections across the globe.
Previous Melbourne Winter Masterpieces exhibitions at the NGV include chart toppers such as Van Gogh and the Seasons (2017) and Salvador Dalí: Liquid Desire (2009). This year, there is a dual offering with The Picasso Century at NGV and Light: Works from Tate’s Collection at ACMI.
Presented by the NGV in partnership with Centre Pompidou, Paris and Musée national Picasso-Paris, The Picasso Century is curated by Didier Ottinger, Deputy Director of Centre Pompidou’s Musée national d’art moderne.
The Picasso Century will be on display from 10 June 2022 at NGV International, St Kilda Road. For tickets and further information, visit ngv.vic.gov.au.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson
“The Picasso Century provides yet another reason for Victorians to explore and reconnect with our cultural capital, and supports the revitalisation of our CBD providing more jobs and economic benefits by acting as a massive drawcard to our state this winter.”
“The Picasso Century brings together master works from across Picasso’s career, alongside those from other leading artists and innovators of the time. Part of our blockbuster season of art, this exhibition is not to be missed.”
Quote attributable to NGV Director Tony Ellwood
“Through more than 170 works of art, audiences will come to appreciate the many ways in which Picasso influenced – and was influenced by – the artistic community that surrounded him.”
Quote attributable to President of the Centre Pompidou, Paris, Laurent Le Bon
“Picasso reunited at last with Australia and his fellow accomplices and travellers – I am delighted with this collaboration between two French institutions and the National Gallery of Victoria.”
Reviewed 04 March 2022