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This sprawling Picasso show explores the artist’s lesser-known classical and cubist works
For three months in the summer of 1921, Pablo Picasso worked out of a makeshift garage studio in Fontainebleau, France, where he created both cubist and classical masterpieces. Now, for the first time since then, the works are reunited in a sprawling new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.
MoMA’s “Picasso in Fontainebleau,” on view through February 17, is the latest show in NYC presented as part of the international Picasso celebration marking 50 years since his death. It joins The Met’s “Picasso: A Cubist Commission in Brooklyn” and will soon be joined by “Picasso and The Spanish Classics” at the Hispanic Museum.
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Starting in July 1921, Picasso and his wife Olga Khokhlova rented a villa in Fontainebleau, France, bringing their five-month-old son with them. As a newly married first-time father, this summer marked a peaceful chapter in the artist’s life (a contrast to other points in his life).
The Spanish-born artist thrived as an outsider in France, bending cultural codes and creating works in radically different styles.
The exhibition runs chronologically, beginning before his Fontainebleau summer kicked off. During the spring of that year, Picasso designed sets and costumes for two ballet productions and also scored a gallery show that reinforced his reputation as an artist mastering cubist and classical styles.
Upon arriving at the villa, Picasso sketched the home’s rooms and garden, along with tender portraits of his wife and son. The Picassos and their guests also snapped photographs of the building and their activities there, many of which are on display for the first time.
A garage space measuring in at 20 by 10 feet served as Picasso’s studio that summer. Using the exact dimensions, MoMA created a room with the garage’s footprint, so museum-goers can step inside and imagine creating such large paintings in a small space.
In that garage, Picasso created the cubist “Three Musicians” with colorful geometric shapes as well as the classical “Three Women at the Spring” with references to Greco-Roman antiquity. For the first time in more than a century, MoMA has reunited these works.
Seeing the paintings together emphasizes the interconnectedness of Picasso’s process—even across works in radically different styles. This stylistic eclecticism led to much drama among his contemporaries, as they wondered: “Was he progressive or regressive? Aligned with the avant-garde or with the conservative ‘return to order’?”
Picasso’s decision to paint these works “virtually simultaneously and on a grand scale … continues to disrupt expectations of artistic evolution and stylistic consistency,” the show’s curator Anne Umland said in a press release.
“This exhibition,” she continued, “extends the museum’s commitment to exploring new ways of seeing, thinking about, and interpreting iconic works from the collection.”
See “Picasso in Fontainebleau” through February 17, 2024 in the Museum of Modern Art’s Edward Steichen Galleries on the third floor of 11 W 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan.
Prospect Park Zoo Is Closed Indefinitely Following Storm-Related Damage
Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency in NYC a few weeks back in the midst of extreme flash flooding brought on by Tropical Storm Ophelia, and unfortunately the storm has had some lasting impacts.
One of which includes extensive flood damage done to Prospect Park Zoo’s basement power and heating systems, causing them to close indefinitely.
A message on the zoo’s website reads:
THE PROSPECT PARK ZOO IS CLOSED FOR STORM-RELATED REPAIRS. PLEASE CHECK BACK PERIODICALLY FOR UPDATES
According to an official statement no animals were harmed or negatively affected by the flooding, thankfully. Alas, we unfortunately can’t say the same for the zoo itself.
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More than seven inches of rain hammered down on the zoo–that paired with run-off from surrounding streets had major impact on boilers, HVAC, electrical, and aquatic life support and other systems which are located in the zoo’s basements. A total of 25 feet of water flooded the basement at unprecedented rates as storm sewers in the area reached full capacity.
The zoo is currently relying on generators for power, and temporary boilers will be used to provide heat as necessary in the upcoming months.
Craig Piper, Vice President of City Zoos for the Wildlife Conservation Society, stated:
There has been millions of dollars of damage to the Prospect Park Zoo. As we move from triage to restoration of the facilities, we will continue to assess when we will reopen to the public. We have pumped the water out of all flooded basements and restoration is fully underway. I want thank all our WCS colleagues from the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo and New York Aquarium for their assistance following the storm.
Piper added:
Throughout NYC and elsewhere, we all are facing extreme weather conditions which are unprecedented. We plan to restore Prospect Park Zoo and its critical infrastructure in ways that will prevent future flooding of our facilities. Prospect Park Zoo suffered significant damage during storms Henri and Ida two years ago and we expect these extreme weather patterns will continue in the future due to climate change.
As of now the zoo remains temporarily closed and a re-opening date has not been identified. In the meantime, here are 7 other must-hit zoos in NYC.
The post Prospect Park Zoo Is Closed Indefinitely Following Storm-Related Damage appeared first on Secret NYC.