The Picasso Effect

42 exhibitions in 8 countries mark 50 years since Picasso’s death. Romania is one of the 8 countries

MARe/Museum of Recent Art Bucharest presents one of the most original and important exhibitions worldwide, dedicated to Pablo Picasso, part of the series of 42 events marking 50 years since the physical passing of the Spanish artist.

“The Picasso Effect” opened on September 27, 2023 and had a major impact on the public. Initially scheduled until January 8, 2024, the exhibition was exceptionally extended, with the support of the French authorities, and can be visited until January 22, 2024, at Bulevardul Primăverii 15.

46 works (paintings, drawings, engravings) from Pablo Picasso’s artist collection presented side by side with 65 works by 37 contemporary Romanian artists influenced by the oeuvre of the most important figure of modern art.

Romanian artists exhibited: Corneliu Baba, Horia Bernea, Ștefan Bertalan, Mircea Cantor, Eva Cerbu, Vali Chincișan, Darie Dup, Aniela Firon, Marin Gherasim, Ion Grigorescu, Vasile Gorduz, Dumitru Gorzo, Hortensia Mi Kafchin, Kádár Tibor, Kero Zen, Irlo, Victor Man, Tincuța Marin, M.H. Maxy, Florin Mitroi, Valeriu Mladin, Dragoș Morărescu, Nagy Albert, Mihai Olos, Ion Pacea, Radu Pandele, Neculai Păduraru, Pisica Pătrată, Constantin Piliuță, Silvia Radu, Alexandru Rădvan, Alma Redlinger, Wanda Sachelarie-Vladimirescu, Donald Simionoiu, Alexandru Țipoia, Vladimir Zamfirescu, Marian Zidaru.

The exhibition is accompanied by an impressive catalog, a bilingual volume (The Picasso Effect. Picasso’s Influence on Romanian Art from the ’60s until Today / © MARe & Vellant, September 2023), featuring reproductions of the works (over 100 large-scale illustrations), analyzed in two introductory texts signed by Romanian and French art historians, as well as a questionnaire The Picasso Effect: “What is Picasso’s effect on your creation and life?”, aimed at Romanian artists.

During the exhibition, MARe/Museum of Recent Art is hosting a series of children’s workshops, as part of its well-known program, MARe de Mic, tailored to the themes, subjects, techniques, images, and experiences inspired by the exhibition The Picasso Effect.

Also, on January 5, 2024, the Museum of Recent Art will organize an international symposium dedicated to Picasso and his influence on (Eastern) European art after the Second World War. Art historians from Romania, France, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic will participate.

“The Picasso Effect presents the echo of Picasso’s work and personality on Romanian art from the 1960s to the present, through works by 37 contemporary artists.
The idea was not to achieve balance, but to provide meaning (artistic, historical, political) through the inclusion of Romanian artists. Their perspectives on Picasso are rich and diverse. From imitating stylistic and iconographic options inspired by Picasso (especially his early Cubism), to undermining the political nuances of his communist affiliation, and even mocking Picasso or reinterpreting his works and figure in a wholly spiritual direction, an entire realm of Picasso’s material opens through the contributions of Romanian artists. Their input is often critical and extremely creative: alongside Romanian painters and draftsmen, there are sculptures, installations, ceramics, photography, mural art.

Thus, the exhibition transforms into an authentic and dense experience of a historical journey through more than 50 years of Picasso’s fruitful interference with the world of Romanian art.”
Erwin Kessler, director of the Museum of Recent Art Bucharest and curator of the exhibition.

“The Picasso Effect” is one of the most impressive exhibitions in Eastern Europe and certainly the most important in Romania — which is among the 8 countries participating in the program Célébration Picasso: 1973–2023.