Pablo Picasso lived a dramatic life, as a human being and as an artist, until his death at age 91. Born in 1881 in Málaga, a city overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in the Andalusian region of Spain, Picasso displayed artistic talent from an early age. Under the tutelage of his father, an artist and teacher, his draftsmanship had soon almost surpassed that of his father. At the age of 14, he moved to Barcelona and entered art school the following year. After leaving for Paris in 1900, the influence of Toulouse Lautrec (1864-1901) led him to abandon academic tradition and begin a full-fledged career as an artist. Replete with ups and downs, successive women would enter Picasso's life, inspiring his creativity and consequently triggering changes in his artistic style.
Although Picasso made strongly rhythmic works characteristic of cubism that intelligently analyze the subject, he also painted gentler pieces echoing classical styles, and while creating works suffused with affection and humor on the one hand, still others shout with an intense anger. The rich variety found when comparing the changing periods and styles of Picasso's oeuvre make it seem as though the work was made by completely different people. However, each is a reflection of his life, and an underlying will and attitude that strives to perceive his own reality can be sensed throughout.
Located respectively in his birthplace of Málaga, in Barcelona, where he spent his youth, in Paris, where he spent most of his life, in Antibes, where he used an old castle as a studio, and in the pottery town of Vallauris in southern France, the museums that currently specialize in the works of Picasso each have a unique character. The Picasso Pavilion at the Hakone Open-Air Museum, which opened in 1984, features a collection centered on 188 ceramic works acquired from his daughter, Maya Picasso (b. 1935). Full of vibrant color and playfulness, this substantial collection of works is easily accessible, bringing a rich sense of joy to viewers. In addition, a multitude of works including sculptures, paintings, tapestries, gemmail (stained glass), gold objets, and silver compotes are on display. With relentless curiosity and inquisitive spirit, Picasso ventured to try various media, and was a pioneer of unique expressive forms. Picasso lived through the two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, and other upheavals of the twentieth century with a tremendous creativity and energy, and while his achievements gained overwhelming recognition during his lifetime, he has since risen to the highest peaks of art in the twentieth century.

The Jester

1905　Bronze / 40 × 35 × 22 cm

Finding new love with Fernande Olivier (1881-1966), Picasso's imagery parted from the melancholy of the Blue Period, and gradually shifted to the warm happiness of the Rose Period. It is at this time that Picasso painted numerous emotionally charged portraits of circus performers, wanderers at one remove from the conventions of society. The Jester was made the same night he visited the circus with his close friend Max Jacob (1876-1944). It is said that as Picasso made modifications to the face, which initially resembled Jacob, the upper half changed completely, leading to the addition of a hat and resulting in the face of a jester with a vague smile. An expressive power is achieved through the rough modeling, while the contrast between delicacy in the face and simplicity in the hat adds dramatic effect. Picasso continued to portray jesters thereafter, showering them with his affection. Growing and changing together with Picasso, the figure of the jester shows up unexpectedly in paintings made after the Rose Period through to Picasso's last years.

Minotauromachy

Original print (1935): Pablo Picasso
Tapestry (1982): Yvette Cauquil-Prince
Tapestry / 318 × 450 cm

Appearing in Picasso's work of the 1930s is the Minotaur, a monster from Greek mythology with a human body and a bull's head. Picasso felt empathy and fascination toward the Minotaur, whose complex personality combines human weakness, affection, and humor with the ferocity, lust, and cruelty of a wild beast. It seems Picasso associated his own brutish nature with that of this mythic creature. A masterpiece among his woodblock prints, Minotauromachy was made in 1935 amidst the disquieting mood in Europe as it headed toward World War II. The Minotaur stands motionless as if fearful before the light of a candle held by an endearing girl. Occupying the center is a disemboweled horse in agony, with a beautiful female bullfighter lying on its back. On the left side is a bearded man fleeing the scene. In the window above, two women watch over pigeons nestled close by. While permitting various interpretations, the symbolism of the subject matter is a precursor to the tragedy depicted in the monumental Guernica made two years later, and conveys a sense of foreboding. From the selection of the thread to the final finish, Yvette Cauquil-Prince (1928-2005) created this tapestry based on the original print of Minotauromachy.

Still Life with Cat

October 23-November 1, 1962　Oil on canvas / 130 × 162 cm

A cat appears ready to pounce at any moment. Its fierce expression flashes with the joy of catching prey. As can be understood from an episode about Picasso, in which he starts to make a plaster statue of a woman one day only for it to become a statue of a cat, he repeatedly saw in cats the figure of graceful and savage women. He also told his friend, the photographer Brassai (1899-1984): "I can't stand high-class cats that purr on the couch in the parlor, but I adore cats that are wild, their hair standing on end." The painting evokes The Ray (1725-26, Louvre Museum, Paris) by eighteenth-century still life painter Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin (1699-1779), but in comparison to the small naturalistic cat Chardin depicts, Picasso's is expressed in rough brushwork that overwhelms the surroundings with a wild momentum.
Meanwhile, humor can be sensed in the character and form of the lobster that occupies the desk while threatened by imminent attack, its long antennae adding impact to the image.

Ceramic

In the summer of 1946, Picasso went together with Françoise Gilot to a ceramic exhibition held in Vallauris. While there, he took some clay in his hands and made three human figures. Visiting again the following summer, Picasso was delighted to see that his work had been fired and preserved. From then on, he created ceramic work with explosive momentum, receiving generous support from ceramicists Georges and Suzanne Ramié, a married couple who ran a pottery called Madoura. Women, pigeons, horned owls, faces, bullfights, fauns, plants-filled with the motifs Picasso excelled at, each work conveys the freedom and joy experienced in their creation. While giving a sense of his humorous side, they are suffused with a rich sensitivity as if Picasso had become a child again.

Eye and Sun

May 20, 1957　Ceramic / ∅42 cm

Face of Faun

March 10, 1948　Ceramic / 32.2 × 38 cm

Horned Owl

February 18, 1961　Ceramic / 57.5 × 46 x 41.5 cm

Bird

c. 1954　Ceramic / 55.5 x 42 x 20 cm

Venus with Necklace

C. 1947　Ceramic / 38 × 11 x 8.3 cm

David Douglas Duncan (American, 1916-2018)

C. 1957　Photograph

David Douglas Duncan became a prominent photojournalist due to his coverage of the Korean and Vietnam wars. He first met Picasso in 1956, when Picasso was 75 years old. Despite witnessing several devastating wars, Duncan wrote of his first encounter with Picasso that it was "a rare day even in a life already not so mediocre." He was immediately fascinated by Picasso's genius, intense character, and powerful vitality, and close interaction would continue between them for the next 17 years until Picasso's death. Duncan became one of few friends who could freely enter and leave Picasso's home, and Picasso was oblivious to his presence, feeling completely at ease in front of Duncan and his camera. Through his lens, Duncan sharply captured the private, hereto unseen face of Picasso.