Sophie Calle Occupies Musée Picasso Paris with Intimate Exhibition

For the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso's death, the Musée National Picasso in Paris has dedicated all four floors of its 17th-century Hôtel Salé to a solo exhibition by French conceptual artist Sophie Calle (born 1953). Titled "A toi de faire, ma Mignonne," the show runs until January 7, 2024, and presents an introspective dialogue with Picasso's legacy while exploring themes of absence, memory, and personal identity. Calle's works include "What do You see?" (2013), a series of photographs and texts reconstructing stolen artworks from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum through staff recollections; "Blind" (1986), where she asked blind people to define beauty; and "Rachel, Monique," an intimate installation about her mother's death requiring silence from visitors. In "Parce que" (2018), viewers lift embroidered curtains to reveal photographs. The exhibition culminates in an auction of over 400 personal objects organized with Drouot auction house, contrasting with Picasso's reluctance to leave an inheritance. Curated by Alessandra Frosini, the show is part of the broader Celebración Picasso 1973-2023 program.