Musée de l’Homme (Paris)
An era that abounded with discoveries and innovations.
The artist was born in 1881, two years after the first prehistoric paintings were discovered in Spain. They were found in the Cave of Altamira, but it was only in 1902 that they were recognised as original Palaeolithic cave art.
Femme lancant une pierre. Pablo Picasso, 1931 © RMN - Grand Palais - M. Rabeau / Succession Picasso 2023
The early 20th century was also marked by artistic renewal, with experiments in cubism and surrealism, fields where Picasso was one of the leading lights.
In 1922, the Venus of Lespugue was discovered, and four years later, the ‘Cahiers d’art’ journal was created. It presented portable art and cave art to the general public. This exciting period is expressed in some of the artist’s work. creations by the earliest artists.
Echoing the early artists
Picasso’s fascination with prehistory is particularly evident in his work from the inter-war period. The exhibition displays forty or so of his sublime, stunning works, some of them for the first time!
You can admire the sculptures, engravings, paintings, drawings, and the way in which Picasso perpetuates past techniques and transforms natural objects. Feast your eyes on these echoes of the creations by the earliest artists