Interview by Rui Pastorin
Art lovers and the general public keen on learning about Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and exploring his important works, along with how his creations evolved throughout his career, can now do so in an ongoing exhibition dedicated to one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
Located at Grand Lisboa Palace (GLP) in Cotai and presented by SJM Resorts in collaboration with Museo Casa Natal Picasso (“Picasso’s Birthplace Museum”) in Málaga and the Málaga City Council, “Picasso: Beauty and Drama” is one of the Special Exhibitions in this year’s Art Macao, marking its debut last week. It is split into seven zones showcasing Picasso’s paintings, prints, ceramics, manuscripts and illustrations on loan from the birthplace museum in Málaga, southern Spain where the artist was born.
With over 140 works on display, each exhibit was chosen from a total of 1,000 treasured works at the museum that are of “the highest quality and that carry great beauty or a significant dramatic charge”, exhibition curator Mario Virgilio Montañez noted in a recent email interview with the Post.
Montañez, a Málaga-born writer, researcher, poet and art critic, heads the Department of Cultural Promotion of the Public Agency for the Management of Museo Casa Natal Picasso and Other Museum and Cultural Facilities that manages Museo Casa Natal Picasso, Centre Pompidou Málaga y Colección del Museo Ruso, in Málaga.
Picasso’s works are characterised by intensity, elegance, and surprising elements, said Montañez, with the exhibits connected to the artist’s homeland and presented through elements such as Mediterranean myths, bullfighting, and Picasso’s biography.
All the works are displayed across a maze-like venue on Level 2 of the integrated resort, with the curator highlighting SJM’s museography for recreating a late 19th-century Spanish city that features elements of Málaga, which he noted as having a lot in common with Macau, alongside corners of Madrid and Barcelona, places where Picasso had also lived. “I can affirm that none of our exhibitions in the Americas, Europe, and Asia have had such a spectacular and appropriate presentation”.
With several highlights, Montañez pointed out some of his personal favourite exhibits, including portraits of Picasso’s longtime romantic partner Françoise Gilot (“Modern Style Bust”) and his second wife Jacqueline Roque (“Portrait of Madame X”), bullfighting scenes, and a 1907 portrait of his adopted daughter, Raymonde. Another favourite is the first shoe ever worn by the artist, which Picasso’s mother considered “a symbol of the moment her son discovered freedom”, according to Montañez. Aside from the various pieces showcased, exhibitiongoers can also gain an insight into the artist and his creations through photos, videos and interactive games.
The curator went on to highlight the significance of continuing to showcase the artist’s works, saying, “Picasso forever altered the history of art, transforming it into a search for a realism that maintained fidelity to objects while imbuing forms with an ever-increasing expressive capacity”. He also noted that the key to understanding Picasso is that an artist “could, and should, create reality, not just recreate it”, which is also a reason behind choosing the pieces on display.
The exhibition is on until October 26 and throughout its run, Montañez hopes that exhibitiongoers will understand why the artist is “the most decisive and influential artist in history”, along with being the most daring and the challenged.
“May they enjoy following the lines and strokes of our artist, marvelling at his every decision. An artist who is pure magic, pure risk, pure emotion, pure freedom, always human, and always moving. That is our Picasso, our Picasso from Málaga”, Montañez concluded.
“Picasso: Beauty and Drama” is open daily, with tickets priced at 298 patacas for general admission and 198 patacas for Macau residents. Guided tours in Cantonese, Putonghua and English are also available.
More ticketing information and exhibition details can be found on
https://www.ticketing.sjmresorts.com/picasso-beauty-n-drama
Different sections of “Picasso: Beauty and Drama” are displayed at the exhibition hosted by Grand Lisboa Palace. – Photos taken last week by Rui Pastorin
