"Picasso: Cubism to Classicism"
2001-11-14 until 2002-03-02
Baltimore Museum of Art
Baltimore, MD, USA

The last in a series of focus exhibitions of works by Pablo Picasso in The Cone Collection, this installation surveys Picasso's exploration of cubism and his return to classicism through a series of rarely seen drawings.

Picasso became interested in monumental classical figures after a trip to Italy in 1917. One of his major themes from this period is the artist in his studio—a sculptor or painter inspired by the nude female model. Characters from classical mythology are also prominent as Picasso creates an idyllic Mediterranean world of bacchanalian feasts with fauns and nymphs. The artist often portrays himself as the legendary half man-half beast, Minotaur. The exhibition culminates in prints of figures from the great series published by Picasso's dealer, Ambrose Vollard, in 1939.

Etta and Claribel Cone collected 113 works by Picasso, but did not purchase any works by Picasso between 1906 and 1922, when the artist was exploring the fractured style of cubism. Picasso's return to the classical figure in the 1920s prompted renewed interest from the Cones, beginning with Claribel's commission of her portrait. Etta purchased a number of important drawings, prints, and illustrated books in the 1920s and 1930s, revealing the full extent of Picasso's classicist orientation. Earlier cubist works included are from other donors and loans from Baltimore collectors.

IMAGE:
Pablo Picasso.
In the Studio. 1933.
The Cone Collection,
BMA 1950.12.501
copyright 2001 Estate of Pablo Picasso

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of Maryland

Other Important Exhibitions in United States