Sculptors Discuss Picasso's Three-Dimensional Genius in MoMA Exhibition Roundtable
In an email roundtable led by David Cohen for artcritical, sculptors Alain Kirili, Michelle Segre, and Rebecca Smith shared their insights on the "Picasso Sculpture" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, which ran from September 14, 2015, to February 7, 2016. They emphasized Picasso's hands-on approach to materials and his lack of formal education. Kirili commended curators Anne Umland and Ann Temkin for their work on the installation and mentioned loans from the Musée Picasso Paris. Smith pointed to the significance of Picasso's 1914 Guitar, while Segre associated his style with African and Oceanic influences. They also explored Picasso's medium boundaries, referencing pieces such as Death's Head (1941) and Man with the Lamb, with Kirili expressing disappointment over the absence of bronze sculptures.
Key facts
- Picasso Sculpture exhibition at MoMA ran from September 14, 2015 to February 7, 2016
- Roundtable participants were sculptors Alain Kirili, Michelle Segre, and Rebecca Smith, moderated by David Cohen
- Exhibition highlighted Picasso's direct material engagement and lack of formal sculpture training
- Key works discussed: 1914 Guitar, Death's Head (1941), Man with the Lamb, Boisgeloup heads
- Picasso's sculpture influenced by African and Oceanic art, which he collected early on
- Exhibition benefited from loans from Musée Picasso Paris and curation by Anne Umland and Ann Temkin
- Kirili noted encountering Picasso in Vallauris in the 1960s and owns a bronze from the Woman (1945) series
- Sculptors debated whether Picasso subverted medium boundaries or worked indifferently to them
Entities
Artists
- Pablo Picasso
- Alain Kirili
- Michelle Segre
- Rebecca Smith
- David Cohen
- James Siena
- Bobbie Oliver
- David Smith
- André Breton
- Georges Braque
- Jasper Johns
- Brassaï
- Robert Capa
- Fernande
- Dora Maar
- Marie-Thérèse
- Sylvette
- Simone de Beauvoir
- Diana Widmaier-Picasso
- Henri Matisse
- Carl Nesjar
- Guillaume Apollinaire
- Julio Gonzales
- Rosalind Krauss
Institutions
- Museum of Modern Art
- artcritical
- Derek Eller Gallery
- Art Omi
- Hionas Gallery
- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
- Musée Picasso
- Madoura
- New York Times
- Beyeler Foundation
- Princeton University
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- 11 West 53rd Street
- Fifth Avenue
- Sixth Avenue
- Richmond
- Virginia
- Paris
- France
- Antibes
- Vallauris
- Riehen
- Switzerland