Friday, March 25, 2016

Picasso in Takamatsu

This new special exhibit just opened at the Kagawa Museum in Takamatsu, which is close to the train station and very easy to get to. The cost is 1200 yen and includes the rest of the museum.  It continues through May 22nd, but will probably get more crowded as time goes on.  No photos were allowed inside the exhibit, as is usually the case.


The show included a variety of his work over the many years of his life, the kinds of things I've seen before.  One interesting thing that was part of this show, that I've not seen in other shows, was one room of photographs of the artist over the years. I've read much about how the women in his life affected his art, but this has me wondering how much the women influenced his appearance.  Or maybe that was all his own doing? Photos in the '30's and '40's show his hairstyle as a longer comb over, probably to hide the thinning hair on top.  Then, the photos starting in the 1950's show the close cut, almost bald on top, style that I think of when I think of Picasso. He seemed much bolder and freer in his appearance as he aged.   In almost every photo, right up to the end of his life, he has a cigarette in his mouth or hand.  I think he lived to be 91. Maybe he just posed with the cigarettes and didn't smoke them? It doesn't seem fair that one can smoke so much and live so long. 


When I came home I watched a Youtube documentary on his life and now I want to learn more!


1 comment:

Lin said...

I was fascinated by your comments on the photographs Pamela. We recently watched a documentary about the guitarist John Williams and I was struck by how much more 'youthful' he looks now with short grey hair than he did in the 70's with long hair and glasses! Sounds like a great exhibition. xx