Warsaw. Pablo Picasso exhibition at the National Museum

The National Museum presents over 120 works by Picasso, including “Portrait of a Woman with a Hat”, “Faun Among the Branches”, “Jacqueline Reading”, “Sleeping Woman”. These include graphics, ceramics and illustrations. The exhibition is divided into four sections: “Rediscovered Beauty”, “Heritage of Myths”, “Ceramic Faces”, “Polish Accents”.

– Nearly 60 percent of the presented works come from the collection of Museo Casa Natal Picasso – Picasso’s Birthplace Museum in Malaga, and about 40 percent from the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw – emphasized Anna Manicka, curator of the exhibition.

The finale of the exhibition is the part called “Polish accents”. In 1948, Picasso, a supporter of communism, took part in the propaganda World Congress of Intellectuals in Defense of Peace. The artist’s route also included, among others: Warsaw and Krakow.

A souvenir of the visit to the Krakow Cloth Hall were embroidered sheepskin coats purchased by Picasso. This covering appears in the artist’s later works, including: in the famous series of lithographs “Woman in an Armchair”. In the capital, the artist visited the National Museum, to which he donated a collection of ceramic plates and graphics.

The Spanish ambassador in Warsaw, Ramiro Fernández Bachiller, said during the opening that the exhibition of Picasso’s works was “giving Poland a piece of Spain.” He added that already 75 years ago, Picasso inspired viewers and artists in Poland with his art, and today his art allows us to once again “enjoy an unparalleled artistic experience.” – Let this exhibition be a meeting place for cultures and Spain – concluded Ambassador Bachiller.

The director of the National Museum in Warsaw, Łukasz Gaweł, noted that Picasso’s works fit into the modern mood. – We would like Guernica to be a memory of what is behind us, i.e. madness and hatred, but it is still stuck in Europe. Art is therefore what we must cling to. What else are we left with, he said.

Drawing attention to the turnout during the opening, he expressed hope that in the future he would be able to welcome exhibition guests in much more comfortable conditions. And he told about the construction of a pavilion, which will be built near the west wing of the museum, from the Książęca side. It will include, among others, accommodation for MNW employees and warehouses. The three-story building will be partially open to the public.

The exhibition was organized under the patronage of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Poland. The “Picasso” exhibition can be viewed until January 14, 2024.