Major exhibition on Picasso and Miró

Throughout the spring of 2018 the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta, which will then be the European Capital City of Culture, will open its doors to a remarkable collection confronting the work of two major Spanish artists of the 20th century: Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró.

This exhibition will be part of a major international project Picasso-Méditerranée, an initiative from Musée National PicassoParis, which is an international cultural event, held from spring 2017 to spring 2019.

Over 60 cultural institutions have come together to conjure up a programme around the Mediterranean work of Pablo Picasso. Initiated by the Musée National Picasso-Paris, this journey into the creation of the artist and across the places which inspired him, aims at strengthening ties between all the shores.

The exhibition is being brought to Malta by Fundación Mapfre who believes that culture enriches people’s lives and one of its principle aims is to bring art and histo- ry closer to the public through exhibitions, courses and publications.

Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti will be collaborating with Fundación Mapfre and the Office of the President of Malta who is kindly making available the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta for the set up of the exhibition Picasso and Miró: The Flesh and The Spirit – the first of its kind to be displayed in Malta.

Pablo Picasso was one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century. He has a worldwide reputation and his works fetch the highest prices at auction houses. The exhibition comprises a suite of a 10 etchings produced by Picasso in the 1930s for the legendary art dealer, Ambrose Vollard and over 40 paintings by Miró, in a bid to explore the different possibilities which modern art offered them.

Pablo Jiménez Burillo, director of the Culture Department at Fundación Mapfre and curator of the show, explains: “This project intends to display something more than a show of two of the most significant creators of the 20th century who really shook up traditional art. This exhibition not only tries to delve into the soul of the artists through their powerful passions, feelings and inspirations, but also it will demonstrate the significance of their personal universes, full of symbols, which depict their personalities. While Picasso unties the dark forces of the male obsessions and delights in female beauty, Miró instructs us in pure colours and free gestures, which represent the generosity of nature and the key to attain happiness.

Fundación Mapfre in collaboration with the Office of the President of Malta and Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti is offering this unique chance for those interested to learn more about Picasso and Miró: The Flesh and the Spirit.

The exhibition will open to the public on 7 April 2018 and will run until 30 June at the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta.