Groundbreaking Picasso exhibition opens in Hong Kong

The M+ Museum, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture located in the West Kowloon Cultural District of Hong Kong, has announced the opening of “Picasso for Asia: A Conversation,” a special exhibition featuring masterpieces by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, alongside works by Asian and Asian-diasporic artists.

Visitors admire Picasso’s works at the exhibition. Photos from WeChat account “ShenzhenLOOK”

Co-curated by M+ and the Musée national Picasso-Paris (MnPP), this groundbreaking exhibition marks the first major showcase of Picasso’s works in Hong Kong in over a decade. It features more than 60 masterpieces by Picasso created from the late 1890s to the early 1970s. These works will be displayed alongside approximately 80 works from the M+ collections by more than 20 Asian and Asian-diasporic artists, including Luis Chan, Gu Dexin, Madokoro (Akutagawa) Saori, Isamu Noguchi, and Tanaami Keiichi.

This exhibition highlights Picasso’s enduring influence and relevance by placing his works in dialogue with contemporary Asian artworks, gently exploring the hidden resonances and connections between Picasso and Asian artists.

“The Acrobat” (1930)

The exhibition is structured around four key archetypes of Picasso’s works, which not only form the creative foundation of his artistic language but also inspire unique expressions in later generations of artists.

The first section, “The Genius,” features works created by Picasso when he was young. The paintings reveal the artist’s talent and his adept mastery of traditional techniques.

The second section, “The Outsider,” includes iconic pieces from Picasso’s “Blue Period,” characterized by deep emotion and somber tones. The section also showcases Picasso’s ability to integrate elements of Cubism with the free expression of Surrealism.

The third section, “The Magician,” celebrates Picasso’s magical creativity, highlighting his role as not only a painter but also a “magician” who transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

The fourth section, “The Apprentice,” showcases the dialogues spanning Western art history from Classicism to the Renaissance, from Baroque to Romanticism, all of which served as nourishment for Picasso’s creativity.

“Large Still Life with Pedestal Table” (1931)

Notable works on view include “The Acrobat” (1930), “Figures by the Sea” (1931), “Large Still Life with Pedestal Table” (1931), “Portrait of Dora Maar” (1937), and “Massacre in Korea” (1951), all from the permanent collection of the MnPP.

The exhibition runs until July 13.