Picasso brought to life on TV
NEW SERIES REVEALS ALL ABOUT PAINTER, SCULPTOR, PRINTMAKER, CERAMICIST ...
National Geographic’s acclaimed scripted anthology series Genius is back next Sunday with a double bill in Genius: Picasso. The artistic career of Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso spanned more than 80 of his 91 years – much of it in his second home of France.
Much like the subject of the first season of Genius: Albert Einstein, Genius: Picasso imagines and interprets the world in totally new and unorthodox ways, and constantly reinvented our perceptions of art and creativity.
The prolific artist generated more than 50 000 works, among the most notable being The Old Guitarist from his Blue Period, now on display at the Art Institute of Chicago; Guernica, inspired by the Nazi bombing of a small Spanish town of the same name, currently on display at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain; and Les Demoiselles D’Avignon, inspired by lover and muse Fernande Olivier, now on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
Picasso’s passionate nature and relentless creative drive were inextricably linked to his personal life, which included tumultuous marriages, numerous affairs and constantly shifting political and personal alliances.
He lived most of his life in the vibrant Paris of the first half of the 20th century and crossed paths with writers and artists, including Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall and Gertrude Stein.
Picasso constantly reinvented himself, always striving to innovate and push the boundaries of artistic expression.
Showrunner, executive producer and writer Ken Biller will continue his role overseeing the new season.
The second season will also once again hail from Fox 21 Television Studios, whose recent The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story dominated every awards contest and critics’ list; and Imagine Television, the pro- ducer of 24 and Empire with executive producers Brian Grazer and Ron Howard along with executive producer Francie Calfo and producer Anna Culp.
“We are thrilled with the enthusiastic response audiences and critics have had for Genius over the last nine weeks, and are excited to be delving back in to the concept with season two,” said CEO of National Geographic Global Networks’ Courteney Monroe.
“More so than any of his contemporaries, Picasso’s work dramatically expressed the modern age and defined new cultural norms. We are excited to explore his life and his genius with the incredibly talented team behind the series.”
Executive producer Ron Howard added: “The remarkable story of artistic visionary Pablo Picasso is the perfect subject for season two of Genius.
“Picasso was a trailblazer who left a profound artistic and cultural impact on the world and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership with National Geographic and Fox 21 Television Studios in telling the untold story behind the brilliant individual.”
Bert Salke, president of Fox 21 Television Studios said: “Season one has been a fantastic experience for all of us...”
Antonio Banderas, who plays Picasso, was born in the same town as the art master.
“You have to think when I was going to school, when I was a little kid with the hand of my mother, we always cross in front of Picasso’s house where Picasso was born. And, you know, I am talking about a time in Spain in which we didn’t have too many international heroes, so Picasso trespassed, you know, that barrier at a time in which we were pretty much isolated by the dictatorship that we were living in, with Francisco Franco in power,” said Banderas.
“I was offered to play Picasso a couple of times in my life, but I said no. This time I felt it was the right time. I said no before because it was a big sense of responsibility, that... for whatever reason, I didn’t want to accept in other times of my life.” – Citizen reporter
Catch Genius: Picasso from April 22 at 8.05pm on National Geographic.
We are excited to explore his life and genius