Latest news with #MnPP
South China Morning Post
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Picasso masterpieces join modern Asian artworks in a conversation of creativity at M+ in Hong Kong
Picasso. One of those historical figures so famous they fly solo in the name game. Advertisement But who, or what, is Picasso, really? An umbrella or drinks coaster? T-shirt, necklace or bobblehead? Shopping bag or small family car? The commodification of the artistically prominent demands they be reduced to a token of modern life – an adornment, an implement, an everyday essential, even something in which to drive around – putting them everywhere and nowhere all at once. The more we see the signature 'Picasso' the less we look at or think about his art, or consider the man himself. Which is where M+ , in partnership with France's Musée national Picasso-Paris (MnPP), comes in. The special exhibition, 'Picasso for Asia – A Conversation', which runs at M+ until July 13, reveals a surprisingly slippery character while also showing us what and whom we didn't know we didn't know: the master behind the myth. A portrait of Pablo Picasso displayed at the M+ 'Picasso for Asia – A Conversation' exhibition. Photo: Alexander Mak The contradictions barring the way to a fundamental understanding of Pablo Picasso are tricky, even for the experts, not least because the artist gave so few interviews. And because many ideas and opinions glibly attributed to him might not have been his at all. Advertisement 'It's so confusing, all the time,' admits François Dareau, MnPP research fellow and co-curator of the M+ exhibition. 'We have only a few recordings of Picasso's voice. But when you see all the quotes in books and articles, they are so well written it means that everything was rewritten by many other people. It's very difficult to approach the real man behind the image. You don't recognise his real voice.'
South China Morning Post
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Picasso exhibition in Hong Kong is politely critical of artist's misogyny. Is it enough?
Pablo Picasso is one of the subjects of bestselling author Claire Dederer's 2023 book Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma. She asks a question many people have struggled with: should we allow ourselves to gaze in wonder at the evidence of his artistic genius, or does it make us complicit in whitewashing his misogyny and abusive relationships with women? Advertisement Funnily enough, 'abusive sexual predator' is not among the four 'archetypes' the Spanish-French artist is said to represent according to the titles of the sections in a new exhibition at M+, Hong Kong's museum of visual culture: 'The Genius', 'The Outsider', 'The Magician' and 'The Apprentice'. The exhibition, 'Picasso for Asia: A Conversation' , shows a deference towards him that reinforces the idea that he was the quintessential 20th century artist. This tone detracts from the museum's intent to create a critical dialogue between Asian contemporary art and Picasso, a culturally remote and at times problematic figure from Western art history. Around 60 exquisite works by Picasso have been loaned to M+ by the Musée national Picasso-Paris (MnPP). That in itself is probably sufficient to attract a sizeable audience, although on their own they would not have made this a particularly interesting exhibition. Figures by the Sea (1931) by Pablo Picasso, on display in Hong Kong. Photo: courtesy of Musée national Picasso-Paris Many of the same pieces were included in a Picasso exhibition at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in 2012, and there have been larger overviews of the artist's work staged in East Asia more recently, such as the 2019 and 2021 MnPP touring exhibitions at UCCA in Beijing, China, and the Hangaram Art Museum, in Seoul, South Korea. In addition, more than 50 Picasso exhibitions were held in 2023, the 50th anniversary of his death.
