The next cycle of the Picasso Museum of Barcelona will explore the artist from his personal relationships and his closest environment, using Catalonia or Paris as a backdrop, as well as his links with surrealism. One of the outstanding exhibitions will be “Fernande Olivier, Pablo Picasso and his friends“, which will focus on the figure of Olivier, French model and artist, who was the first partner of the painter from Malaga.
The exhibition “From Montmartre to Montparnasse (1889-1914). Catalan artists in Paris”, from November 22 to March 30, 2025, will strengthen the connection with Catalonia, placing the French capital as a stage. This historical period, from the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889 to the outbreak of World War I, will see the proliferation of portraits, self-portraits and urban landscapes created by Catalan artists such as Santiago Rusiñol, Ramon Casas, Enric Granados and Maria Gay. In addition, the exhibition “The Surrealist Spring” will be presented, which will premiere in autumn, exploring the year 1936 with the documentary recreation of the Picasso Exhibition at the Sala Esteva, as well as the works of the artist Aube Breton-Elléouët, daughter of André Breton, immersing herself in the surrealist movement through collages.
Regarding Picasso’s relationship with Fernande Olivier, the exhibition will showcase self-portraits, unpublished photographs and portraits of other artists with whom Olivier was friends, allowing a view across diverse artistic styles. Documents and texts, including memoirs written by Olivier about and for Picasso, will be a central part of the exhibition. Institutions such as the Archives La Belle Fernande (ALBF), the Musée National Picasso in Paris, the Düsseldorf Kunstsammlung or the Museo Reina Sofia have contributed to the project. The exhibition will open on June 7 and will run until October 6.
In addition, until mid-September, it will be possible to enjoy the exhibition “Picasso’s Catalan Landscapes”, where the painter’s vision of Catalonia is combined with snapshots of the same places captured by French photographer Bernard Plossu, who is an admirer of Picasso.
The museum also seeks to strengthen its link with the city by offering a program of social and educational activities including readings, panel discussions and musical performances. Emmanuel Guignon, the museum’s director, says that a more visual and less textual approach to the works of art will be sought, with the introduction of expert curators in the rooms to provide detailed information to interested visitors. A reorganization of the museum’s spaces is also planned to make it more welcoming, with new audio guides, rest areas and the opening of a restaurant on the first floor.
The educational aspect of the museum will be reflected in the “Picasso Doctorate” a higher education program in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the Université Picardie Jules Vernes d’Amiens (UPJV), which will address the painter’s work from a young and modern perspective. In addition, family workshops and activities for the elderly will be offered, such as a workshop on memory stimulation through art.