One of the great masters of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso pushed the boundaries of modern art as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and designer, even as a poet and playwright.

Exhibition Fast Facts

A world-premiere exhibit on Picasso opens at the Barnes February 21.

See 50+ important works of art by Picasso and his contemporaries.

Special exhibition tickets are available online and include access to the permanent collection.

The evolution of his art can be seen via his periods — Rose, Blue and, perhaps most famously, Cubist — and at The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, museumgoers can view multiple examples of Picasso’s masterpieces among the permanent collection, which holds the distinction of being one of the finest collections of post-impressionist and early modern paintings in the world.

This month, though, the Barnes’ collection will see a huge supplement to the trove of works by Picasso with the opening of a major exhibition exploring Picasso’s work between 1912 and 1924, when the artist began to alternate between cubist and classical elements in response to the turbulent years of World War I.

On Sunday, February 21, The Barnes Foundation, in partnership with Ohio’s Columbus Museum of Art, premieres Picasso: The Great War, Experimentation and Change, which will be on view through May.

50+ Original Artworks

An astounding collection of more than 50 works by Picasso and his contemporaries will be on view in the Barnes special exhibition galleries, with artworks hailing from the collections the world over, including from the Picasso museums in Barcelona, Málaga and Paris.

The show includes a huge range of mediums — from oil paintings, watercolors, drawings to costumes and curtain designs Picasso developed for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes in 1917. Some 15 other important canvases by Picasso’s contemporaries—including Henri Matisse, Fernand Léger, and Diego Rivera—will also be presented.

Additionally, Picasso’s works are complemented by more than a dozen works by such contemporaries as Henri Matisse, Fernand Léger and Diego Rivera.

The entire show revolves around the World War I era when Picasso began to shift away from painting in a style of pure Cubism and incorporate naturalistic modes — a progression that shocked many of his Parisian avant-garde colleagues.

Tickets and Programming

Tickets for Picasso: The Great War, Experimentation and Change are already available for purchase online. The exhibition is free for members, of course, and exhibition tickets combined with access to the Barnes collection are $29 for adults, $27 for seniors and $15 for youth/students.

For those who are looking to check out the exhibition only, walk-up tickets are available on-site for $14.

Throughout the run of the exhibit, the Barnes presents a wealth of accompanying programming, including lectures, workshops and an opening soiree on Saturday, February 20.