Picasso: Themes and Variations

It follows his evolving artistic vision through decades of experimentation in etching, lithography, and linoleum cut, demonstrating how each technique inspired new directions in his work. The exhibition also focuses on specific themes, demonstrating how Picasso’s imagery went through a constant process of metamorphosis. Printmaking, in particular, allows this fundamental aspect of his art to become vividly clear, since various stages in building a composition can be documented. One series of lithographs shows Picasso progressing, step-by-step, from a realistic depiction of a bull to one that is completely abstracted in simple, schematic lines. Other examples reveal changing interpretations of the women in Picasso’s life, as they become the subject of his art and the catalytic force behind his creativity. Organized by Deborah Wye, The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Chief Curator of Prints and Illustrated Books, The Museum of Modern Art.

In conjunction with this exhibition, MoMA will launch a major online project featuring its collection of over 1,000 etchings, lithographs, and linoleum cuts by Picasso, thereby allowing this extraordinary group of works to reach a world-wide audience. Digital images of these prints will be available online and, in many cases, will be accompanied by interpretive texts.