Picasso: The Artist and His Models

Saturday, November 5, 2016–Sunday, February 19, 2017

1905 Building
Special Museum Admission
Special Museum Hours and Tours

Picasso: The Artist and His Models explores the career of multifaceted artist Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) between 1906 and the mid-1960s. At the core of this exhibition is an exploration of Picasso’s extraordinary ability to translate three dimensions into two-dimensional evocations. His countless models, which naturally included his friends and his lovers, also comprised mundane objects whose shapes and interrelations intrigued him. Throughout his work, the artist engaged with other important archetypes from literature, music, theater, fashion, and popular culture, as well as history and art. His close personal relationships with many of his subjects allowed him to distill their energy and infuse it into works of art across various mediums.

This presentation features significant paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints by Picasso from the Albright-Knox's collection. Additional iconic paintings by the artist, which have been carefully selected from museums in both Europe and the United States, will draw connections between the conceptual and stylistic developments of his work. This exemplary grouping will be contextualized by a further selection of works by Picasso’s contemporaries from the Albright-Knox’s collection. These include Georges Braque (French, 1882–1963), Stuart Davis (American, 1892–1964), Albert Gleizes (French, 1881–1953), Juan Gris (Spanish, 1887–1927), Fernand Léger (French, 1881–1955), Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954), Jean Metzinger (French, 1883–1956), Georgia O’Keeffe (American, 1887–1986), and Morgan Russell (American, 1886–1953), among others.

Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). *Three Musicians*, 1921. Oil on canvas, 80 1/2 × 74 1/8 inches (204.5 × 188.3 cm). Philadelphia Museum of Art; A. E. Gallatin Collection, 1952. 1952-61-96 © 2016 Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Pablo Picasso's La toilette, 1906 — Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). *La toilette*, 1906. Oil on canvas, 59 1/2 x 39 inches (151.1 x 99 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Fellows for Life Fund, 1926 (1926:9). © Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Pablo Picasso's Bather, winter 1908–09 — Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). *Bather*, winter 1908–9. Oil on canvas, 511/8 x 381/8 inches (129.8 x 96.8 cm). The Museum of Modern Art; Louise Reinhardt Smith Bequest. © 2016 Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Digital Image: © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA / Art Resource.

Pablo Picasso's Nude Figure, late spring 1910 — Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). *Nude Figure*, late spring 1910. Oil on canvas, 39 x 30 3/4 inches (99.1 x 78.1 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; General Purchase Funds, 1954 (1954:11). © 2016 Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Pablo Picasso's Harlequin with Violin, 1918 — Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). *Harlequin with Violin*, 1918. Oil on canvas, 55 15/16 x 39 7/16 inches (142.2 x 100.3 cm). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1975.2. © 2016 Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Pablo Picasso's Femme en vert (Dora) (Woman in Green [Dora]), 1944 — Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). *Femme en vert (Dora) (Woman in Green [Dora])*, 1944. Oil on canvas, 511/8 x 381/8 inches (130 x 97 cm). Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Beyeler Collection. © 2016 Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Peter Schibli, Basel.

Pablo Picasso's Still Life with Skull, Leeks, and Pitcher, March 14, 1945, 1945 — Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). *Still Life with Skull, Leeks, and Pitcher, March 14, 1945*, 1945. Oil on canvas, 28 3/4 x 45 5/8 inches (73 x 115.9 cm). Collection Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, de Young. Museum purchase, Whitney Warren Jr. Bequest Fund in memory of Mrs. Adolph B. Spreckels, Grover A. Magnin Bequest Fund, Roscoe and Margaret Oakes Income Fund and Bequest of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick J. Hellman, by exchange. © 2016 Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Pablo Picasso's The Women of Algiers (after Delacroix), 1954 — Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). *The Women of Algiers (after Delacroix)*, 1954. Oil on canvas, 25 5/8 x 28 5/8 in. (65.1 x 72.7 cm). Collection Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art; Gift of the Carey Walker Foundation, 1994.2.2. © 2016 Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Pablo Picasso's Rape of the Sabine Women, 1963 — Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973). *Rape of the Sabine Women*, 1963. Oil on canvas, 76 7/8 x 51 5/8 inches (195.3 x 131.1 cm). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Juliana Cheney Edwards Collection, Tompkins Collection—Arthur Gordon Tompkins Fund, and Fanny P. Mason Fund in memory of Alice Thevin. Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. © 2016 Succession Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Georges Braque's Still Life on a Mantelpiece, ca. 1923 — Georges Braque (French, 1882–1963). *Still Life on a Mantelpiece*, ca. 1923. Oil and sand on canvas, 25 1/2 x 30 inches (64.8 x 76.2 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Room of Contemporary Art Fund, 1941 (RCA1941:22). © Estate of Georges Braque / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.

Henri Matisse's La musique, 1939 — Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954). *La Musique*, 1939. Oil on canvas, 45 3/8 x 45 3/8 inches (115.3 x 115.3 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Room of Contemporary Art Fund, 1940 (RCA1940:13). © Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

The ensemble of works in Picasso: The Artist and His Models reveals the ways in which the artist played a major role in the development of modern art by calling into question conventional ideas about art as the imitation of reality. Throughout his prolific career, Picasso varied his hand, often reinventing himself as well as his models. In some cases, he reimagined the same subject numerous times, making his ingenuity all the more evident. However, the matrix of all his subjects was the theater of life: the sensory experience in which he was simultaneously an actor and an observer. By reconciling these two roles, Picasso created an enduring visual dialogue that remains infinitely complex and dynamic.

Picasso: The Artist and His Models is the second chapter in the Albright-Knox’s “Transformations in Modern Art” exhibition series, launched in 2015 with Monet and the Impressionist Revolution, 1860–1910.

This exhibition is conceived by Peggy Pierce Elfvin Director Dr. Janne Sirén and organized by Sirén and Godin-Spaulding Curator & Curator for the Collection Holly E. Hughes.

Special museum admission is required to view this special exhibition during M&T FIRST FRIDAYS @ THE GALLERY. Please see below.

Admission

Adults, $18
Seniors, $12
College Students, $12
Youth (Ages 6–18), $9
Children 5 and under, FREE
Members, FREE

Please note that admission to Picasso: The Artist and His Models will be $3 off from January 31 to February 19, 2017, due to the closure of Rosalyn Drexler: Who Does She Think She Is? and the installation of four new special exhibitions opening February 18.

Also, please note that reciprocal membership privileges do not apply to Picasso: The Artist and His Models.

Group Admission

Adults, $14
Seniors, $10
College Students, $10
Youth (Ages 6–18), $7
Children 5 and under, $4
Chaperones, $7
Members, FREE

Teachers are invited to schedule free guided tours of Picasso: The Artist and His Models for K–12 school groups as part of our Art’scool program. Learn More

Hours

The Albright-Knox will be open until 9 pm on Thursdays from November 17, 2016, through February 16, 2017, during the special exhibition Picasso: The Artist and His Models.

Tours

From Friday, November 18, through Sunday, February 12, public tours of Picasso: The Artist and His Models will take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 11 am, with an additional tour on Thursdays at 6 pm.

While these tours are free with special museum admission, we ask you to please buy your timed ticket for the exhibition for the time that you wish to take the tour. (For example, if you wish to take a tour on Tuesday, November 22, at 11 am, please buy your timed ticket for Tuesday, November 22, at 11 am.)

Exhibition Sponsors

This exhibition was made possible through the generosity of M&T Bank. Additional support has been provided by Ferrero USA Inc. and Fondazione Ferrero Onlus; Superior Group; The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation Funds at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo; Amy and Harris Schwalb; Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP; C2 Paint; and by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.