“I don’t think Picasso was particularly misogynistic”

Fifteen exhibitions and several congresses offer “surprises and new lectures” about the work and life of the genius from Malaga

Carlos Alberdi (Madrid, age 66) succeeded the late José Guirao as commissioner of the 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death. He believes the anniversary will bring new readings and surprises about the work and life of the most influential painter of the 20th century, whose figure “we should not judge with today’s eyes”.

-Guirao saw Picasso with more future than past, is that correct?

-Obviously you have a very important gift, and this celebration proves it. It will be a re-reading of Picasso in the 21st century with events in Spain, France and the United States. There will be fifteen exhibitions in Spain, academic projects and conferences.

– What will the big exhibition be?

– They’re all relevant. The first, at the Fundación Mapfre, will confront Julio González with the sculptor Picasso in September. De Thyssen, Coco Chanel with the Cubist Picasso and his relationship with fashion, and with the great masters of his collection. In ‘1906’ Reina Sofía explains a crucial year preceding ‘Las senoritas de Avignon’. The Prado confronts Picasso and El Greco in an exhibition curated by Carmen Giménez. The Academy of Fine Arts will house the Nahmad collection, the most important of Picasso’s outside of his own family, and La Casa Encendida will cover his final years.

–Barcelona, ​​Malaga, Coruna…?

–The Picasso of Barcelona, ​​together with the Miró Foundation, will explore the relationship with his dealer Kanhweiler, both with the city and the relationship between Picasso and Miró. The Design Museum is about ceramics. The Picasso in Malaga offers ‘Picasso and the Human Body’, which goes to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, and ‘The Echo of Picasso’, about his influence on current artists. His hometown will showcase his rich documentary collections. The Museum of Fine Arts in La Coruña, where he spent four years as a teenager, collects very diverse works. The Picasso of Paris, the major backer of this effort, will contribute many works to these exhibitions and those to be held in France.

Picasso’s figure is today revealed as uncomfortable, with a dark side as misogynist and abuser.

– Logically, all their profiles are discussed in the congresses and in the exhibitions. And that has to be seen in context. Also less treated subjects, such as Picasso and the mass media, and his mixing of industry and art as a ceramist.

–Should we separate the artist from the person?

-Yes. But you have to have a balance when judging bulls in the past. Picasso is not here today to defend himself, and things need to be seen in context. He was a Spaniard, born in Malaga in 1881, and for his generation it is clear that he had very rich relationships with many women of great character. Those who criticize Picasso may think they were easy to manipulate. The experts have their say. I am not. From my point of view, I don’t think it can be said that Picasso was particularly misogynistic.

–The most influential painter of the 20th century, will he be in the 21st?

-There is no doubt about the great space it occupied in the art of the 20th century. And that may encourage a certain desire to remove a defect. Evidence of its influence is that today the most important museums celebrate it. Keep generating ideas and reflections. We want to think about it for a year and a half thanks to studies, conferences and exhibitions. Improve your knowledge and let people enjoy it. And if they have to criticize him, let them criticize him.

France wanted to appropriate Picasso. Will the fiftieth anniversary consolidate his definitive Spanishness?

-Everyone sees the fair as it goes. He is very Spanish, but without France he would not have developed his fantastic work, the Spanish character of which is obvious. He is a stubborn and stubborn man from Malaga. It’s hard to believe that if he had stayed in Barcelona he would have gotten to where he is today.

Source: La Verdad

Wayne

I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.