Stripes sometimes blue, sometimes yellow, colorful wallpaper and in between masterpieces by Pablo Picasso. Rarely has a Picasso exhibition looked so colourful. To mark the 50th anniversary of the Spanish master’s death, the British star designer Paul Smith designed the homage exhibition in the Picasso Museum in Paris.
They want to show Picasso in a new light and attract a different audience, the 76-year-old told the German Press Agency. Presenting exhibitions in white rooms is strict and serious. The young generation is visual.
Smith, who was knighted for his services to British fashion in 2000 and has since been known as Sir Paul Smith, is known for his colorful fashion. He has now immersed more than 150 works by the Spanish master in his colorful universe: the highly simplified portrait of Picasso’s young lover Marie-Thérèse Walter hangs in front of yellow stripes and Picasso’s self-portrait in a purple-colored room together with studies for his main work “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon ».
Smith has opened stores worldwide and distributed his collections in over 70 countries, as well as designing motorcycles and cycling jerseys. It is the first time that he is designing an art show. He was surprised at how easy it was, probably because he’s been playing with colors for over 50 years.
For Cécile Debray, director of the Paris Picasso Museum and co-curator of the exhibition, the collaboration with Smith is part of a new concept with which the museum wants to open up to a new audience. This also includes special shows by contemporary artists with which Picasso’s work is confronted, such as Faith Ringgold’s “Black is beautiful”.
«La Collection prend des couleurs» (The collection will be colourful) is one of the many exhibitions around the world to mark the 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death on April 8th. It lasts until August 27th. (dpa)
