The Plenary Session of the National Commission for the Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Picasso's death is constituted

At the meeting, which marks the start of the work to commemorate Picasso Year, details were given of some of the activities and exhibitions to be held and the international dimension of the event.

The plenary session, chaired by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, was attended by the Minister for Culture and Sport, Miquel Iceta, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, the Minister for the Presidency, Parliamentary Relations and Democratic Memory, Félix Bolaños, the Commissioner for Picasso Year, José Guirao, and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, the painter's grandson, among others.

The National Commission has planned temporary exhibitions at the Prado Museum, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, National Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Picasso Museum in Malaga, Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and Picasso Museum in Barcelona.

The governments of Spain and France agreed to work together for the commemoration, to join forces and facilitate a large number of exhibitions, colloquia, seminars and audiovisual products that address lesser-known aspects of his work and update the appreciation of it for current generations of the public.

The date chosen for the constitution of the Plenary coincides with the 140th anniversary of the birth of the Malaga painter. Also in 2023, the anniversaries of two major museums dedicated to the dissemination of his work in Spain coincide: the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Picasso Museum in Malaga and the 60th anniversary of the Picasso Museum in Barcelona.

Pablo Picasso

Picasso (1881-1973) inaugurated the 20th century with the birth of Cubism, the first and most important avant-garde art movement of the century, followed by the Russian Avant-garde, Dadaism, Futurism, Surrealism, etc. With Cubism, all the certainties and artistic practices installed up to that time were thrown into the air and its importance goes far beyond the creation of a new artistic movement, but rather transforms the vision and the very concept of art known to date.

Picasso is a kind of demiurge who transforms everything he touches, painting, sculpture, drawing, engraving, ceramics, everything will be different after passing through his hands. His influence marks the whole of the 20th century and continues to be a reference for 21st century artists, as he is the artist with the most museums dedicated to his work in the world. These include the Picasso Museum in Paris, the Antibes Museum in the south of France and the Malaga and Barcelona Museums in Spain.

Non official translation