Picasso. Figures, an exhibition from the incomparable collection of the Musée national Picasso-Paris, offers an in-depth look at Pablo Picasso’s career-long fascination with the human figure as a means of expressing a range of subjects and emotions. Featuring approximately 75 paintings, works on paper, and sculptures, Picasso. Figures makes its sole U.S. appearance in Nashville in the Frist’s Ingram Gallery from February 5 through May 2, 2021.
A panoramic survey of Picasso’s career, the exhibition opens with portrayals of his wives and lovers in a range of styles, which often capture the turbulence of their relationships. The focus then shifts to Picasso’s renowned cubist period of the early 20th century. Of particular interest are works that demonstrate the powerful influence of African and Iberian art on this radical style, in which perceptions of time, space, and reality are altered in ways that embody the ideal of artistic freedom manifested by artists of the period. Continuing through the exhibition, visitors will encounter paintings, sculptures, and works on paper that reflect Picasso’s experiments with a variety of styles, including surrealism, neoclassicism, and expressionism. Picasso. Figures culminates in late works, characterized by vivid colors, exuberant brushstrokes, and playful twists on the old masters, showing that Picasso’s endless desire to reinvent painting continued until the end of his life.
