Picasso Celebration 1973-2023: 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death

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Written By Ainoa

Ainoa has been privileged to work together with Turespaña, Spanish Tourist Office in Helsinki and was invited to the presentation of the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023: 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death at Taidehalli Art Gallery on the 15th of November 2022. 

Besides the presentation to The Picasso Celebration, the event’s guests were treated to a display of Spanish culture through the mediums of a cocktail reception by Michelin-star restaurant Finnjävel and various Spanish wines, cheese and ham, all set to the sound of a Spanish guitar duet. As part of the celebration, a live artist painted in Picasso’s famous cubist style. Attendees could also test their knowledge of the presentation by playing a fun quiz game, with the winner receiving a painting to take home.

See more highlights from the event on Ainoa’s TikTok here.

Pablo who?

Pablo Picasso was a Spanish artist, painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and theatre designer. He is known for co-founding the Cubist movement and being one of the most influential and revolutionary artists in history.

Pablo Ruiz y Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain on 25th October 1881. He also went by the name of Pablo Picasso and Paul Ruiz Picasso. He was a famous painter during his lifetime and he is best known for his cubist-style paintings. His greatest contribution to art was his innovative ideas that helped develop 20th-century art as we know it today. Many people do not realise that Pablo Picasso was also an influential illustrator. He illustrated many books throughout his life, including The Tragedy of Hamlet by Shakespeare and Poems by Guillaume Apollinaire.

Picasso died in Mougins near Cannes France on 8 April 1973 at the age of 91 years old but his legacy will live on forever.

Picasso’s artistic legacy is one of immense importance for modern art and culture worldwide with over 200 museums worldwide exhibiting his work or hosting retrospectives dedicated to him – including New York (MoMA), Paris (Pompidou Centre), Barcelona (Museum of Modern Art) and Madrid (Reina Sofia).

Spain inspired Picasso – Come find your inspiration

The Spanish Ministry of Culture has announced that Spain will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso's death in 2023 with a series of over 40 exhibitions and events in 8 countries and most notably in Spain and France to help continue his artistic legacy across the country where he was born and inspired so much of his work.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death, during the Picasso celebration, Spain is hosting 16 exhibitions in some of the most renowned museums in the cities linked to Picasso’s life and artwork, in Málaga, Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and A Coruña.

Picasso Celebration - Malaga

Cityscape of Málaga. Plaza De Toros De Ronda Bullring in Málaga, Spain.

Málaga

Málaga, the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, provided the Spanish artist with some of his earliest impressions. Although Picasso did not return to Málaga after the Spanish Civil War (1936 – 1939), he remembered the city as a pleasant place with good weather. The city's culture left such an impression on Picasso that some of its themes became recurrent in his art.

Although Málaga has changed a lot since Picasso's childhood, its spirit and creativity are still alive. Its light, the bullfighting ring, the streets, the pigeons, and the Mediterranean Sea continue to millions of others. In recent years, Malaga has undergone a remarkable transformation. The city centre is now pedestrian-friendly and a cultural destination of first-class importance.

Málaga will host three exhibitions to commemorate the 50th anniversary since Picasso's death:

Picasso Celebration - Madrid

Cityscape of Madrid with Almudena Cathedral

Madrid

Picasso, who was a student at the Spanish Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid, looked up at various masterpieces of El Greco for inspiration at the Prado Museum. Later in his life, he became the director of that very museum—the place where he had first seen El Greco's work. The way El Greco represented the characters in his pieces made a deep impression on Picasso.

Picasso was deeply affected by the way El Greco painted his characters. The painter's use of bold colours and dramatic lighting effects could be seen in many of Picasso's works.

Picasso fans will be treated with total of eight exhibitions will be hosted in Madrid during this special Picasso Celebration year:

Picasso Celebration - Barcelona

Saint Eulalia church during the morning light in Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona nurtured Pablo Picasso's spirit with all kinds of artistic and architectural influences. The Catalan capital is a very cosmopolitan city that offered Picasso the opportunity to discover new horizons, such as Catalan modernism in full swing at that time. 

The city was a place where he could live with talented artists such as Ramón Casas, Santiago Rusiñol and Carles Casagemas who inspired him.

Picasso Celebration will take place in Picasso Museum in Barcelona:

  • Daniel- Henry Kahnweiler (01.12.2022–19.03.2023)

  • MIRÓ - PICASSO (19.10.2023–24.02.2024)

  • ¿Pero es posible que hayan hecho esto antes que yo? Picasso y la cerámica española en las colecciones del Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (Is it posible it has been done before me? Picasso and Spanish ceramics in the collections of the Disseny Museum in Barcelona) (01.06.2022–30.09.2023)

Picasso Celebration - A Coruna

A Coruña’s fierce waves

A Coruña

If Málaga is the spirit of the Mediterranean, La Coruña is the Atlantic, its stone shaped by the ocean's fierce waves. Málaga was Picasso's childhood home; La Coruña was where he grew up, when his soul started to expand and explore.

He spent a few years of his early childhood in A Coruña, a city in northern Spain. It was a formative period for the artist, who started his art classes here and signed his first works.

A Coruña will be hosting one exhibition during Picasso Celebration – the Picasso Year 2023, Picasso blanco en el recuerdo azul (White Picasso in blue memory) in Royal Arts Museum in A Coruña (24.03.2023–23.06.2023).

Picasso Celebration - Bilbao exhibitions

Some of the typical facades of houses in Bilbao, Spain.

Bilbao

As one of Spain's most vibrant art centres, Bilbao will be joining the commemoration of the Picasso Year 2023 by hosting an exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum.

Bilbao is an impressive city for its modern architecture and the work of prestigious architects. But what makes it unique is the combination of old and new: a mix of old and new buildings, charming streets, and pintxo bars. This mix is also key to understanding the art of Pablo Picasso.

Experience Picasso’s exhibition at Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao yourself! Picasso: materia y cuerpo (Picasso: matter and body) is open to visitors from 29.09.2023 to 14.01.2024.

About Ainoa’s collaboration with Spanish Tourist Office in Helsinki

Ainoa’s very own linguist and copywriter Aliisa—with a burning passion towards Romance languages—has been helping Spanish Tourist Office by translating various marketing materials from English to Finnish. She has helped by not only translating content into a language Finns understand but also making the content feel more relevant to Finns.

“Working with the Spanish Tourist Office in Helsinki has been a pleasant experience. All communication is seamless, and it has been a pleasure to provide my expertise for localizing various texts – while learning fun facts about Spain along the way!”

If you’re looking to bring out your brand’s voice and personality through the words you use, let us help.

Ainoa http://www.ainoa.agency
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