Picasso’s Studios exhibition opens at Fire Station

The exhibition features 108 extraordinary artworks by Pablo Picasso selected from the unparalleled collection of the Musée national Picasso in Paris, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and ceramics.

On view through November 1, the innovative exhibition traces the evolution of Picasso’s epoch-making art by presenting it in eight distinct galleries, representing the series of studios where he worked throughout his career.

Sheikha Reem Al Thani, Director of Exhibitions at QM, said: “We are absolutely delighted to finally be able to share with the public this exceptional exhibition we have organised in collaboration with the Musée national Picasso in Paris. Picasso’s Studios is a celebration of a great artist’s career and gives us a unique view into his art practice. All the works at one time belonged to the artist’s personal collection, and all are grouped within the exhibition to recall the places in which they were created. It is especially appropriate that we are presenting Picasso’s Studios at the Fire Station: Artist in Residence, where outstanding contemporary Qatari artists produce and show their work in Doha today.”

Spanning eight decades, from Picasso’s arrival in Paris in 1900 to his final years on the Mediterranean in the 1970s, the exhibition is part of the 2020 Qatar-France Year of Culture, a Qatar Museums initiative dedicated to building bridges between the people and institutions of these two nations.

Aisha Ghanem Al Attiya, Head of Years of Culture, QM said: “Pablo Picasso, one of the most influential artists of his generation, spent most of his adult life in France where he fell in love with the country and its riviera towns. We are pleased to bring this outstanding exhibition to Qatar as part of our Year of Culture programme, and introduce the collection of one of France’s most iconic museums to our audiences.”

Picasso’s Studios is curated by Virginie Perdrisot-Cassan, Curator of Paintings (1921-1973), Sculptures and Ceramics at the Musée national Picasso-Paris. Organised chronologically, the exhibition focuses on the eight studios where the artist worked, including Le BateauLavoir, Studio at rue Schoelcher, Castle at Boisgeloup in Normandy, Studio at rue des Grands-Augustins, Fournas Studio, Studio of “La Californie,” and Vauvenargues Castle to the Mas de Notre Dame de Vie in Provence.

The Garage Gallery is open from Sunday to Thursday, between the 9am to 3pm. In keeping with the guidelines set by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), a limited number of visitors and staff are allowed in the Garage Gallery space at a time.

Visitors are required to reserve tickets in advance on the QM website.  Visitors 12 years of age and older are required to wear masks, present a “green” health status on the Ehteraz virustracing app and are checked for normal temperature at the entrance.

Fire Station was one of the museums the QM reopened yesterday in addition to a number of heritage sites, in accordance with recommendations from Qatar’s Health Protection & Communicable Disease Control office of the MoPH. Qatar Museums plans to reopen the remainder of its museums in phases, while rolling out the new health and safety protocols, in accordance with global standards, and carefully monitoring progress to ensure the well-being of staff and visitors.

Source: thepeninsulaqatar