Picasso's 'Figures' Exhibition in Verona Traces Human Form Evolution

The exhibition 'Picasso. Figure (1906-1971)' at the Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona, curated by Emilie Bouvard and organized by Arthemisia with the patronage of the Comune di Verona, features ninety works from the Musée National Picasso in Paris. It explores Picasso's evolving representation of the human body across six decades. The show is structured into thematic sections: '1907-1916 – Cubist Deconstruction and Reconstruction' includes 'Seated Nude' (1906-07) and 'Reclining Nude' (1908), reflecting his shift from academic to Cubist approaches influenced by Cézanne and Gauguin. '1917-1924' focuses on his collaboration with the Ballets Russes and his muse Olga Choclova, depicted in 'Olga with Fur Collar' (1923). '1925-1936 – Surrealist Metamorphoses' shows his engagement with Surrealism through hybrid bodies in works like 'The Kiss' (1931) and 'Woman with Clock' (1936). '1937-1945 – Figures of War' addresses his response to the Spanish Civil War and WWII, notably 'Weeping Woman' (1937), symbolizing mothers who lost children. '1945-1953 – Return to Origins' highlights his renewed interest in primitivism and childhood, as seen in 'Mother and Children Playing' (1951). The final section examines Picasso's obsession with the painter-model relationship, referencing Delacroix's 'Women of Algiers' and Manet's 'Le déjeuner sur l'herbe', with works like 'The Painter and the Model' (1970) and 'Sunday' (1971).