ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Photograph by Edward Quinn © edwardquinn.com
Irish, 1920–1997
Pablo Picasso, printer Jacques Frélaut, and painter Édouard Pignon
La Californie, Cannes, March 16, 1961

Although Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) is often idolized as a solitary artist genius, his career was marked by many instances of creative collaboration. The works on display address his evolving techniques, the narrative preoccupations that drove his creativity, the muses who inspired and supported him, and the often-neglected issue of the collaboration inherent in print production. Picasso | Encounters explores the artist’s interest in and experimentation with large-scale printmaking throughout his career. Thirty-five of Picasso’s most important prints and three paintings are included, ranging from the Clark’s rare impression of The Frugal Repast (1904)—Picasso’s first major statement in printmaking—to Ecce Homo, after Rembrandt (1970) made just three years before his death. Through these works, the exhibition explores the integral roles that those closest to Picasso played in his creative process.

Picasso | Encounters is organized by the Clark Art Institute, with the exceptional support of the Musée national Picasso–Paris. Additional support for the exhibition is provided by Margaret and Richard Kronenberg and Marilyn and Ron Walter.

A fully illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition, with an essay by Marilyn McCully on the role of printmakers in Picasso’s artistic process, as well as a new understanding of the importance Picasso’s muses played in the artist’s life by Jay A. Clarke. The catalogue is published by the Clark and distributed by Yale University Press. Call the Museum Store at 413 458 0520 to order.