THE PHILADELPHIA JUNTO.: Picasso Breaks Out All Over

Thursday 15 April 2010

Picasso Breaks Out All Over

Bits and bobs:
Philadelphia Museum at a glance

Claire Howard, right
By Richard Carreno
Junto Staff Writer Bio

From Philly to New York, Picasso is breaking out all over.

On the heels of the Philadelphia Museum of Art's wildly successful in-house show of works by Pablo Picasso, 'Picasso and the Avant-Garde in Paris,' the Metropolitan Museum of Art will also showcase its permanent collection of works by the Spanish artist (1881-1973) in a retrospective that begins 27 April, running to 1 August.

Actually, the Philly and New York exhibits will overlap for a few day as the Philadelphia Museum's show has been extended to 2 May.

Interestingly, both shows also coincides with a show of Picasso prints, now on exhibit through 1 May at the Marlborough Gallery, 40 West 57th Street, New York.

In its current on-line newsletter, the Philadelphia Museum warns, 'Now or never -- don't miss your opportunity to experience this outstanding exhibition!'

The museum also billboards a 'sound bite' from The Wall Street Journal, calling the show, curated by Michael Taylor, as 'smart, informative, witty.' (No mention is made of a New York Times review that was considerably less impressed).

Like the Philly exhibit, the Met's show will also feature pieces from its permanent collection. However, the show will not be limited to a particular timeline, as is the case with the Philly exhibit and the current exhibit at the Marlborough Gallery, titled 'Celebrating the Muse: Women in Picasso's Prints From 1905-1968.'

In a statement, the Met said, 'The exhibition encompasses the key subjects foir which Picasso is so well known....'

Includes will be 300 works, featuring 34 paintings, 58 drawings, a dozen sculptures and ceramics, and an extensive selection of prints.

The Met show also differs from the Philadelphia Museum exhibit in that it will not skimp by not offering a show catalog. (This was a major flaw in the Philly show in that it undermined scholarship). The Met catalog is funded by the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation.

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Many thanks!

Many thanks to all -- almost 200 fans, at last count -- who signed up at my Philadelphia Museum group site at Facebook.com/WritersClearinghouse.

Let's stay in touch! Go the FB as often as you to follow updates at Examiner.com and The Philadelphia Junto -- and news bites not published here -- that exclusively target the Philadelphia Museum, our city's most important cultural resource. Hope to hear from you.

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Golden Girl

A celebration of the return of the statue of Jeanne D'Arc, the golden girl of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, will begin at 2 pm Thursday, 22 April, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Kicking off the event will be a tour of the museum's Arms and Armor Collection, followed at 3 pm by a bus ride to the Perelman Building, where champagne and cakes will be served. At 4 pm, the restored, newly-bronzed sculpture of of Joan of Arc, created by Eugene Fremiet, will be unveiled.

Speaking at this ceremony will be Mayor Michael Nutter; Margot Berg, Philadelphia Public Art Director; and Julia Ward and Valerie de Conde, both of French Heritage Philadelphia.

Philly's Jeanne D'Arc statue is one of three that I know of. Another in New Orleans. And one in Paris.

See you at the ceremony. Look me up!

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Picasso blog

The museum has created a dedicated blog to the Picasso show. Earlier this month, Claire Howard (see featured photo) was showcased as curatorial research assistant to modern art curator Michael Taylor.

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BROADSTREETREVIEW.COM INDEX

Articles by Richard Carreño
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Matisse and Barnes: A tale of two museums October 04 2011 Henri Matisse was one of the three great revolutionary artists (with Picaso and Duchamp) of the early 20th Century; Albert Barnes was a brilliant collector of revolutionary art. They made a great team until Barnes’s insufferable personality drove Matisse away, with consequences that still reverberate today.

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Antiquity, looters and the Penn Museum November 10 2009 Who are the best stewards of ancient artifacts— enlightened Western curators whose museums stole the loot long ago, or dictators of Third World lands where the treasures were originally found? James Cuno of the Chicago Art Institute (who believes the former) confronts the Penn Museum (which favors the latter). "Iraq’s Ancient Past: Rediscovering Ur’s Royal Cemetery." Through Spring 2010 at University of Pennsylvania Museum, 3260 South St. (215) 898-4000 or www.penn.museum/sites/iraq.

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Christie’s and ‘The Gross Clinic’ January 03 2007 As a leading art auction house, Christie’s well understands the role of a dummy bidder in jacking up the price of a work. In Jefferson University's recent sale of The Gross Clinic, Christie’s consultants apparently found an unwitting dummy in the Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton. Has Philadelphia’s art community learned anything from this $68 million lesson?

What price admission to the Barnes? August 12 2006 Hefty admisssion increases are the new order of the day at New York's Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum. Derek Gillman, new chief of the Barnes Foundation, may be tempted to follow suit. Here's one hard-nosed reason why he shouldn't.

Celebrating ....

Thursday 15 April 2010

Picasso Breaks Out All Over