Picasso Exhibits Set to Open at the WAG

The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) unveiled two new exhibits today featuring the works of one of the most influential artists in history.

Picasso in Canada, along with Picasso: Man & Beast. The Vollard Suite of Prints is organized by the National Gallery of Canada and will officially open to the public in Winnipeg tomorrow, May 13, 2017.

It will be at the WAG until Aug. 13.

“The exhibit shows you not just the diversity in terms of Picasso’s artmaking, paintings, ceramics, prints and drawings,” said WAG Director and CEO Dr. Stephen Borys. “It also shows you the range of his subject matter and the way he impacted on the 20^th century.”

Picasso in Canada brings together 35 works of art drawn from eight art museums across the country and private collections. The exhibit includes paintings, watercolours, drawings, engravings and ceramic works.

“Every decade of the 20^th century Picasso had something to say,” said Borys. “And we’re still looking at these works are incredibly modern but some of them were produced over 100 years ago.”

The Vollard Suite showcases a different side of Pablo Picasso few people know about. Many know Picasso for his bold and colourful Cubist paintings but aren’t aware of the over 100 etchings he produced in the 1930’s.

Dr. Sonia Del Re is the National Gallery of Canada Associate Curator of European Prints and Drawings and will curate The Vollard Suite.

She says the etchings will provide a unique visit to the WAG for patrons.

“This is a much more intimate experience,” said Del Re. “People have to come up close to the artworks and look at them closely and examine them and I think they will definitely enjoy that.”

“There are a lot of pieces, over 100 of them,” she continued. “But because they are small and intimate it makes for a very different viewing experience.”

Alongside the works of art in the Picasso exhibits, the WAG will feature a series of events, daily film screenings, family activities, talks and tours aimed at educating people on the life and work of Picasso.

Borys and Del Re will be joining Classic 107 host Sarah Jo Kirsch in the Diamond Lane this afternoon (May 12, 2017) at 4:30 pm to talk more about the exhibit.

For more information on the exhibit and programming, visit picasso.wag.ca/events.