Picasso: Drawing from Life

The Art Institute of Chicago
November 11, 2023 through April 8, 2024

. 

Image: Pablo Picasso. Reclining Nude (Sleeping Woman), 1969. The Art Institute of Chicago, gift of Richard and Mary L. Gray, 2019.

This year marks 50 years since the death of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso in 1973 and the Art Institute of Chicago is joining hundreds of presentations worldwide in honoring the artist’s legacy. 

Picasso is often presented as a singular artistic genius solely responsible for his creative force, but he would not have achieved his immense success without the many people who supported him. The exhibition will highlight the stories of those who may previously have been lost in the shadow of Picasso—his artistic collaborators, printers, dealers, lovers, and family. Spanning the entirety of his 70-year career, including pieces from 1899 through 1969, this is a celebration of the Art Institute of Chicago’s extensive collection of Picasso’s works on paper and other pivotal works from the prolific artist. It will feature more than 60 objects, including drawings, prints, and illustrated books, along with a handful of paintings, and a sculpture. 

“Picasso did not become the artist we know today on his own,” said Jay A. Clarke, Rothman Family Curator, Prints and Drawings. “Throughout his long career, Picasso collaborated with dealers, printers, and other artists who helped him to achieve fame and challenge him creatively.”

Organized chronologically, the exhibit highlights those who influenced him at different points in time, including his gallerist Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, fellow artist George Braque, lovers including Fernande Olivier, Marie-Thérèse Walter, and Dora Maar, and his family.

“A lot of his art gets lost in the drama of his life, or at least what people think they know about his life,” said Emily Ziemba, Director of Curatorial Administration and Research Curator, Prints and Drawings. “But he made his amazing works of art aided by a fascinating group of people around him.” 

Picasso: Drawing from Life is curated by Jay A. Clarke and Emily Ziemba.