Iceta attends the institutional act of the French Government on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso

As part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso, the French Government held an institutional event today at the Musée National Picasso-Paris. Accompanied by the Spanish Minister for Culture, Miquel Iceta, and the French Minister for Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, visited the exhibition Picasso Celebration, the Collection Takes Colour! The tour of the exhibition was led by the artistic director, Paul Smith, and the director of the museum and French commissioner of the celebration, Cécile Debray, who curated the exhibition together with Joanne Snrech. The event was also attended by the commissioner for Picasso Year in Spain, Carlos Alberdi.

Exhibitions in France

France is hosting more than 10 exhibitions to honour the artist as part of the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023. These include Fernande Olivier and Pablo Picasso, in the intimacy of the Bateau-Lavoir at the Musée de Montmartre; Picasso/Poussin/Bacanales at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon; Picasso and Prehistory at the Musée de l'Homme-Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Sophie Calle. It's up to you, precious from the Musée National Picasso-Paris; or Goya in Picasso's Gaze from the Musée Goya. Musée d'Art Hispanique de Castres. The latest to open on 6 May was Forms and Metamorphoses: Picasso's Ceramic Creation in Vallauris (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France), which explores the artist's links with this pottery town between 1946 and 1971.

Picasso Celebration 1973-2023

The exhibition is part of the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023, a programme of more than fifty exhibitions and events in 2022 and 2023 at renowned cultural institutions throughout Europe and the United States commemorating the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso's death.

8 April 2023 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Spanish artist's death, an event that marks the celebration of his work and artistic legacy in France, Spain and internationally.

For this reason, the governments of France and Spain agreed to work together on an international programme through this bi-national committee that brings together the cultural and diplomatic administrations of the two countries.

Supported by renowned cultural institutions in Europe and the United States, the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023 revolves around some fifty exhibitions and events which, taken together, address a historiographical analysis of Picasso's work.

Last January, Macron, together with the minister Miquel Iceta and the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, visited the exhibition Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler: art dealer and publisher, at the Museu Picasso in Barcelona, also as part of the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023 programme, an initiative of both governments to highlight the work and life of one of the most extraordinary artists of the 20th century.

Born in Malaga on 25 October 1881 and dying in the French town of Mougins on 8 April 1973, Pablo Picasso is one of the most famous painters in the history of Western art. His expressive, free and multiform language continues to influence contemporary art and reflection.

Picasso Celebration 1973-2023 aims to highlight the career of an essentially European artist who - from a profound knowledge of the heritage and principles of tradition and an understanding of classicism as an ethical value - projected such universal symbols as Guernica internationally; today a collective emblem in the defence of human rights.

The programme is organised by the Spanish National Commission for the Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso and the Musée national Picasso-Paris, with the support of Telefónica in Spain.

Musée National Picasso-Paris

Located in the heart of Paris, in the historic and trendy Marais district, the Musée National Picasso-Paris is one of the great Parisian museums. The exceptional collection of the Musée National Picasso-Paris was donated by Picasso's heirs. The collection is representative of Pablo Picasso's entire career and consists of important works from his studio which he kept until his death, as well as his archives (more than 200,000 items). This collection offers a faithful and intimate portrait of one of modern art's most iconic artists. Considered the most important in the world, the collection is housed in an exceptional 17th century mansion in the historic heart of French culture.

Non official translation