Picasso Exhibition Recognizes Family, Friends and Lovers Crucial to the Artist’s Career

Marc Vitali | January 4, 2024 2:12 pm

Even an artistic genius gets by with a little help from his friends.

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“Picasso: Drawing from Life” spotlights the artist’s works on paper. The exhibition also explores the influence of friends, muses, fellow artists and dealers — the network of people who aroused passions in Pablo Picasso and contributed to his success.

Some prints and drawings are tender and loving. Others are brutal and bestial, not unexpected for a complex human who said both “Love is the greatest refreshment in life” and “There are only two types of women — goddesses and doormats.”

“A lot of his art gets lost in the drama of his life,” curator Emily Ziemba said. “But he made his amazing works of art aided by a fascinating group of people around him.”

Co-curator Jay Clarke added: “Throughout his long career, Picasso collaborated with dealers, printers and other artists who helped him to achieve fame and challenge him creatively.”

More than 60 pieces of art span seven decades (1899-1969) in the life of the Spanish artist, who spent much of his life in France. The works on paper are amplified by a small but significant group of paintings and sculpture. It’s a showcase for the impressive Picasso holdings of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The show is chronological — from Picasso’s formative years to developing Cubism with Georges Braque, from his return to neo-classicism to grappling with war in Europe. Also included: exquisite etchings from the famous Vollard Suite and charming depictions of the artist’s family.

It’s fascinating to see a page of studies for Picasso’s Chicago sculpture, which represents either a woman or the artist’s Afghan hound named Kabul. The drawings for the monumental piece in Daley Plaza suggest Picasso was undecided on how to design the base of the public work.

Picasso always dared to experiment, collaborate and seduce. The prolific artist once said, “It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction.”

If you missed this seductive exhibition when it opened in November (as this reporter did), it’s worth a look. “Picasso: Drawing from Life” runs through April 8 at the Art Institute of Chicago.

And if you visit, two other shows currently at the museum feature marvelous artworks in three dimensions:

“Camille Claudel” highlights the sculpture (and tragic life) of Rodin’s protege and runs through Feb. 19.

And renowned Italian sculptor Antonio Canova’s working methods are laid bare in “Canova: Sketching in Clay” through March 18.