2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of one of the most important Spanish and universal artists of all time, Pablo Ruiz Picasso, a genius born in Malaga in 1881. To commemorate his life and work, an extensive programme of exhibitions, initiatives and events has been planned around the world, especially in the host countries, Spain and France. In Spain, the focus will be on the Spanish cities with the strongest ties to Picasso and which were a source of inspiration, leaving a mark on his personality and art.

He created his first works in the Fine Arts schools of A Coruña, Barcelona and Madrid and on his initial trips to Paris. In 1907 he painted “Les demoiselles d’Avignon”, the starting point of cubism, a revolutionary artistic movement that he devised together with Georges Braque, a Parisian painter. Cubists wanted to move beyond showing what things looked like and instead wanted to show the whole structure of objects in their paintings without using techniques such as perspective or graded shading to make them look realistic. Instead they wanted to show things as they really are. Cubism so impacted the art world that it made Picasso one of the most influential artists of all time.

Probably Picasso’s most famous work, Guernica is certainly his most powerful political statement, painted as an immediate reaction to the Nazi’s devastating casual bombing practice on the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. Upon its completion in 1937, it was shown around the world–a stark message on the horrors of Nazism and the destruction the wreaked during the war. It also would be, a harbinger of what was to come during World War II.

Picasso not only painted, he also explored genres such as stage design, sculpture, ceramics and engraving. He died in 1973 at Mougins, a hilltop village in the Alpes-Maritimes dĂ©partement in the Provence-Alpes-CĂ´te d’Azur region in Southeastern France. But despite his death, Picasso’s legacy is more alive than ever. Experience the year of Picasso first hand, and learn about his legacy through exhibitions and events in Spain by visiting one or more of the many exhibits and events throughout Spain.

Exhibitions and Events
23.09.2022 – 08.01.2023
«Julio González, Pablo Picasso y la desmaterialización de la escultura»
FundaciĂłn MAPFRE, Madrid
01.10.2022 – 21.01.2023
Kunstmuseum Pablo Picasso MĂĽnster, Alemania
11.10.2022 – 15.01.2023
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
14.10.2022 – 19.02.2023
«Fernande Olivier y Pablo Picasso, en la intimidad del Bateau-Lavoir»
MusĂ©e de Montmartre, ParĂs
14.10.2022 – 12.02.2023
Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Bélgica
20.10.2022 – 22.01.2023
«El cubismo y la tradición del trompe-l’oeil»
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nova York
Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler
November 18, 2022 – March 12, 2023
White Picasso on the Blue Souvenir
March 23, 2023 – June 23, 2023
Picasso. Masterpieces from the Nahmad Collection
March 29–to July 2, 2023
San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Art
For more events, visit Picasso Celebration.