The exhibition features 108 extraordinary artworks by Pablo Picasso selected from the unparalleled collection of the Musée national Picasso in Paris, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and ceramics.

Qatar Museums (QM) reopened the Doha Fire Station: Artist in Residence and unveiled the special exhibition Picasso’s Studios in the Garage Gallery yesterday.

On view through November 1, the innovative exhibition traces the evolution of Picasso’s epoch-making art by presenting it in eight distinct galleries, representing the series of studios where he worked throughout his career.

“We are absolutely delighted to finally be able to share with the public this exceptional exhibition we have organised in collaboration with the Musée national Picasso in Paris,” QM’s director of exhibitions Sheikha Reem al-Thani said. Picasso’s Studios is a celebration of a great artist’s career and gives us a unique view into his art practice. All the works at one time belonged to the artist’s personal collection, and all are grouped within the exhibition to recall the places in which they were created.

Spanning eight decades, from Picasso’s arrival in Paris in 1900 to his final years on the Mediterranean in the 1970s, the exhibition is part of the 2020 Qatar-France Year of Culture, a QM initiative dedicated to building bridges between the people and institutions of these two nations.

Picasso’s Studios is curated by Virginie Perdrisot-Cassan, Curator of Paintings (1921-1973), Sculptures and Ceramics at the Musée national Picasso-Paris. Organised chronologically, the exhibition focuses on the eight studios where the artist worked:

  • Le Bateau-Lavoir, Picasso’s bohemian workspace in the Butte Montmartre, Paris, a former piano studio converted into workshops (May 1904-September 1909; 1912), represented in the exhibition by Sacré-Coeur (Winter 1909-1910, oil on canvas) and other works.
  • Studio at rue Schoelcher, a bourgeois apartment in the Montparnasse district in the south of Paris (September 1913-1916), where Picasso created works such as the exhibition highlight Man at the Fireplace (1916, oil on canvas).
  • Studio at rue La Boétie at Paris’s 23 rue de la Boétie (November 1918-1940, 1951), represented in the exhibition by the painting Studies (1920) and the charcoal drawing The Artist in Front of His Canvas (22 March 1938).
  • The Castle at Boisgeloup in Normandy, a 17th-century mansion that the artist purchased to establish a workshop large enough for sculpture (June 1930-autumn 1936), where Picasso created the works Woman’s Head in Profile – Marie-Thérèse (1931, bronze) and Still Life: Bust, Fruit Dish and Palette (3 March 1932, oil on canvas).
  • The Studio at rue des Grands Augustins (1937-spring 1967) in Paris, where Picasso painted Guernica (1937) (which remains on permanent view at the Museo Reina Sofi a in Madrid), as well as the Doha exhibition highlight The Kitchen (November 1948, oil on canvas).
  • The Fournas Studio in Vallauris, Côte d’Azur in the south of France (1948- 1955), where the artist created more than 4,000 pieces of ceramic ware.
  • The much-photographed Studio of “La Californie,” Picasso’s home, studio and gallery in Cannes, Côte d’Azur (1955-1961), where he created The Studio of La Californie (30 March 1956, oil on canvas) and The Bay at Cannes (19 April 1958-9 June 1958, oil on canvas), and
  • Picasso’s retreat at the Vauvenargues Castle to the Mas de Notre Dame de Vie in Provence (1958-1973), built in front of Mont Ste. Victoire, famously painted by Paul Cézanne, where Picasso created the exhibition highlight Woman’s Head (late 1962, painted sheet metal).

QM reopened a number of its museums and heritage sites to the public yesterday, in accordance with recommendations from Qatar’s Health Protection and Communicable Disease Control office of the Ministry of Public Health.

QM plans to reopen the remaining museums in phases, while rolling out the new health and safety protocols, in accordance with global standards, and carefully monitoring progress to ensure the well-being of staff and visitors.

The Garage Gallery at the Doha Fire Station: Artist in Residence is open from Sunday through Thursday between 9am and 3pm. In keeping with the guidelines set by the MoPH, a limited number of visitors and staff will be allowed in the Garage Gallery space at a time.

  • Visitors will be required to reserve tickets in advance on the QM website https://visit. qm.org.qa.
  • Upon arrival visitors will be required present a “green” health status on the Ehteraz virus-tracing app.
  • Masks are required for all visitors (12 years of age and older).
  • Each person will also be checked for a normal temperature reading at the entrance. Visitors who have a temperature or do not have a mask will not be allowed into the Fire Station: Artist in Residence.
  • Hand sanitiser stations will be placed throughout the location encouraging visitors to keep their hands clean.
  • Signage reminding visitors to keep a safe distance from other visitors will also be visible on site.
  • Cloak rooms will be unavailable during this period.
  • In addition, interactive features such as touchscreens will be temporarily removed, and gallery guides will be offered online only.

Source : Gulf Times

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