Harry Rosehill

The Royal Academy's New Picasso Exhibition Explores A Completely Different Side Of His Oeuvre

Pablo Picasso Head of a Woman, 1962. Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée national Picasso-Paris) / Béatrice Hatala © Succession Picasso/DACS 2019

Pablo Picasso is famous around the globe for the work he did on canvases. But did you know he also worked on paper?

That's what The Royal Academy will highlight in its first exhibition to open in 2020: Picasso and Paper. The medium wasn't just a vehicle for the artist's nascent ideas. Instead he respected paper as its own form, thanks in large part to its versatility.

He used all sorts of paper in his works — cafe tablecloths, newspaper cuttings and even burnt papers in a mix of sculptures and collages. He also worked directly onto paper using gouaches, pastels and watercolours. The exhibition contains over 300 works that span the prolific Picasso's 80-plus year career.

This is a speedy return to the major galleries of the capital for Picasso, considering his work was last here less than a year and a half ago.

Picasso and Paper runs from 25 January-13 April 2020 at the Royal Academy. Tickets cost £18-£22.