Picasso: The Mediterranean Years

I strongly recommend that you try to see this exhibition at the Gagosian
which brings together pieces from one of Picasso’s most creative and
imaginative periods.
The Mediterranean years , 1945-62, were a time of joy and freedom for
Picasso for it was when he moved to the French Riviera after an isolated
period of living and working in German occupied Paris during the war. The
feeling of Picasso’s work from the Mediterranean Years is one of carefree
exploration and joyful creativity. The Gagosian Gallery have brought
together a significant collection of paintings, sculptures, drawings,
ceramics and prints from the period, all of which are beautifully
displayed.

Picasso (1881- 1973 ) has been and continues to be an inspiring artist
whose work is both intellectual and playful. Early on in his career his
fascination with African and Iberian sculpture led him to be one of the
first Western artists to make paintings that were free from objective
truth, something that had long been practiced in African and American art.
The first painting that he made in this way was entitled  Les Demoiselles
d’Avignon which was thought to be deeply shocking and ugly at the time
that is was made in 1907, but it went on to influence many artists and
change the course of Western art.

His work still tests expectations of the viewer and this exhibition is
full of his inventiveness: drawings that are made into sculptures, pots
that are painted with portraits, humorous prints made after old master
paintings, paper models and much more…..

Gagosian Gallery,6-24 Britannia Street, WC1 until August 28. Tues-Sat
10am-5.30pm.

Article by Clara Drummon