Capital goes cubist with Picasso

For the very first time in the Middle East, the works of legendary artist Pablo Picasso have gone on display at Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace.

Picasso Abu Dhabi: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris, featuring 186 paintings, sculptures and drawings opened on Tuesday, and will run at the hotel's Gallery One until September 4. Drawn exclusively from the holdings of the Musée National Picasso, which came directly from the artist's studios, Picasso Abu Dhabi will trace the artist's career across a range of work beginning with his 1901 Blue Period self-portrait, and concluding with Portrait of the Young Painter, made just before his death in 1973.

"This is a genuine retrospective seen through a museum collection. We have here a totally new situation, since we are able to follow Picasso's own trajectory, his search, and his discoveries, through his paintings, sculptures and drawings," says Anne Baldassari, Director, Musée National Picasso, Paris and the exhibition's curator.

Born in 1881 in Málaga, Spain, Picasso is one of the most recognised figures in art, and he is best known for co-founding the Cubist movement. Among his most famous works are the proto-Cubist Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, which he created in 1907, plus his depiction of the German bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War, Guernica in 1937. He died aged 91, in Mougins, France. Abu Dhabi is the only Arabian city on the exhibition's nine-stop tour, which was launched at Madrid's Reina Sofía museum. The exhibition will explore distinct periods in Picasso's career, as well as the Arabian influences in his work. The first, from 1901 to 1909, is about the genesis of Cubism, from the Blue Period to the research around Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.

The second period, from 1910 to 1924, covers the artist's early cubist and neo-classical works, while the third, 1924-1935, includes several surrealist sculptures and the main paintings of this influential period.

The fourth, from 1935 to 1951, places some of Picasso's works in the context of his preoccupation with the Spanish Civil War, World War II and the Cold War, and finally, 1947 to 1972 is the last period, which explores Picasso's predominantly joyful post-war work.

To coincide with the exhibition, a series of educational programmes for all age groups have been organised, including interactive activities, art workshops, illustrated lectures, guided exhibition tours, and finally, debates on Picasso and his artistic legacy.

Picasso Abu Dhabi.  From 10am to 10pm at Emirates Palace.  Free entry. Runs until September 4.  Visit www.artsabudhabi.com.