A Picasso for the Instagram age, reimagined by Paul Smith in Paris

How to tell Pablo Picasso differently for the 50th anniversary of his death? That question was asked by the National Picasso Museum in Paris and the answer was commissioned by the British designer Paul Smith, who with his sense of color has reimagined the Picasso universe to test the age of instagram.

“Everyone is so visual now, with their cameras, with their phones… Even the younger generation, eight years old, ten years old, they are very visual. I have tried to make it very visual so that they can identify with it, rather than being an elitist work on a white wall”Smith explains to Efe in the “stripes” room of the exhibition, which is reminiscent of the T-shirts of the painter from Malaga.

The British fashion designer has reorganized the collection of the Picasso National Museum in Pariswhich is the largest number of works and collections by the artist himself that exists, in 24 spaces that, while respecting the chronology and orthodox themes, offer a playful look at the work of the avant-garde genius.

The colors and textures contribute to this above all, which the British designer himself uses with a unique touch to decorate the characteristic stores of his namesake brand all over the world, but also music and lighting.

A room dedicated to Picassian bullfighting becomes an immersive experience thanks to the red walls, the one from the melancholic blue period has been carpeted so that the noise of shoes does not break the sober atmosphere and another with works from the 50s has piped music jazz pianist Thelonious Monk.

“What museums often forget is that the artists did their work so that people could buy it and enjoy it at home. They weren’t necessarily designing for museums, they were designing for people to enjoy.” emphasizes the British designer, the eve of the grand opening of the exhibition to the public.

Humor to reread Picasso

The ultimate goal is, according to Smith, “that people leave with happiness and with interest” by Picasso, an artist he was far from an expert on when this project was proposed to him, but whose versatility he now especially praises.

It is something with which he identifies, the need for change is imposed to remain relevant in the fast-paced world of fashion, but that Smith does for himself. “commercial reasons”he says, while Picasso did it out of pure creative hunger.

“I didn’t realize how prolific I was”admits, “I like that he was not ashamed to say that he was influenced by Cézanne, cubism or that he liked to look at Manet or Velázquez again. He was always very open.”.

And why was Paul Smith called in for the artistic direction of an exhibition on this anniversary of Picasso? “I have no idea,” answers the designer himself, laughing. It’s the question I’ve been asking myself for four years.”

“Having an outside look allows us to reread Picasso’s work, which needs, I would say, a lighter approach”explains to EFE, for his part, Cecile Debraypresident of the Parisian museum.

For this expert, Picasso’s unfathomable influence on art, his political commitment and his own personal “pathos” too often hide the “humorous dimension” Of his work.

The possibility of taking distance from that typically serious and academic gaze, Debray also relates to the ability to open up the figure of the painter of “The Ladies of Avignon” to other debates that are valid and necessary, such as the role of women in the life and work of the author in the times of “Me too”.

For this reason, from March 7 to August 27 of this year – the celebration of “Picasso 1973-2023”which will commemorate the author of Guernica with numerous events, especially in Spain and France, the Picasso Museum in Paris invites the curious to come with their “questions” and with his “critics”says its director, but also open to an experience “unexpected”full of humor and color.

Source: EFE Agency.