Unseen Picasso Portraits come to National Portrait Gallery in October
There are few artists that are household names, known to both art lovers and those with only a passing interest in art. Pablo Picasso is one of those artists whose works draws in visitors from every corner of the globe. The Culture Trip posted a list of the top eight places to see Picasso’s work.
This October the National Portrait Gallery in London will be putting on a new Picasso exhibition titled Picasso Portraits. The exhibition will display over 75 portraits by the artist including some that have never been seen in the UK before.
In a recent review of the new Tate Modern, Art historian Marie-Anne Mancio wrote it was a shame that the Tate Modern did not have a room to focus exclusively on artists such as Picasso. This October the National Galley exhibition will be one of the only places in the world where visitors will be able to see
a dedicated room with a full spectrum of his art.
The new artwork comes from the some of the world’s most famous museums, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and private collections. The portraits include his family, friends and lovers. Included in the portraits are Picasso’s self portraits ranging from his teenage years through to his later years (left: Portrait of Daniel-Henry Khanweiler, Pablo Picasso, 1910, oil on canvas, Art Institute of Chicago).
The highlight of the exhibition will be the range of styles Picasso employed over his long career. From the fine art at he beginning of his art career to his iconic abstract paintings, visitors will be able to get a full scope of his extraordinary talent.
Picasso became world famous for his portraits and caricature. His paintings are highly sort after among art collectors. Last year the Guardian reported that one of his paintings sold at auction for $179 million. Alongside the paintings will be a catalogue that provides a detail insight into the background of each painting, shedding light into the mind of one of art’s greatest masters.
With record-breaking levels of tourism London is one of the best cities for art exhibitions to get maximum exposure and introduce a new generation to the work of Picasso. According to London and Partners, London tourism has been breaking records every year.
Visitors to the gallery are recommended to take the London Underground to Charing Cross station or
the Embankment. International visitors will be able to get direct trains from London’s airports or alternatively the option to rent a hire car is often advised as it will give visitors the freedom to travel outside of London if they so wish. Both Gatwick and Heathrow have a ton of services, which means that tourists can obtain hire cars from the airport parking lots. Airport-based company Parking4Less states that airports such as Gatwick offer a valet service and 24 hour shuttle buses that ensure tourists are able to efficiently get to the parking lots where the hire companies are based upon their arrival in London. Alternatively, London’s Heathrow has an Underground route called the Heathrow Express that takes people directly into the centre of London.
The exhibition is already causing a lot of noise in the art world. Dr. Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery said of the exhibition that it “demonstrated the breadth of Picasso’s oeuvre.”
Picasso Portraits National Portrait Gallery, Wolfson Gallery 6 October 2016 - 5 February 2017 For more information please CLICK HERE