From Africa to the Americas

Picasso and beyond at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Writer Adrienne Matei

On May 12, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts opens From Africa to the Americas: Face-To-Face Picasso, Past and Present, in which 100 works by Pablo Picasso are situated in dialogue with both traditional and contemporary works by artists of African descent, including Omar Ba, Edson Chagas, and Zina Saro-Wiwa. A long-time admirer of African art, Picasso once claimed “the greatest artistic emotion I have felt was when I was suddenly struck by the sublime beauty of the sculptures carved by anonymous artists in Africa.”

In this exhibit, 27 pieces from Picasso’s personal collection help to further illuminate his interest in non-Western creation, in a time when many masks and talismans were oft regarded as ethnographic curiosities rather than fine art. In its totality, the exhibit offers a pan-national perspective on an iconoclast and his influences.

From Africa to the Americas: Face-To-Face Picasso, Past and Present runs May 12 to September 16, 2018, at the Musée des Beaux Arts.

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