Message

To mark the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death in 2023, the Musée national Picasso-Paris coordinated the organization of numerous exhibitions around the world, as well as study days, symposiums, events designed to celebrate Picasso’s legacy. For us, celebrating did not mean glorifying with nostalgia, but rather questioning what this major work represents today: the aim was to propose projects that would provide an overview of the current understanding of Picasso’s work, and invite new interpretations and approaches.
It was within this context that the idea was conceived for the renowned British fashion designer Paul Smith to explore our museum’s collection, the world’s richest collection of Picasso’s works. Through this sensitive and contemporary reinterpretation of the masterpieces in our collection, a vibrant celebration of Picasso has emerged, allowing him to continue to engage with the world and artists, as he always did during his lifetime. A conversation that now continues in Tokyo, where Paul Smith keeps developing this beautiful project, adapting it to a new cultural context—that of Japanese audiences—and to new spaces—the vast, modern ones of the National Art Center, Tokyo, one of Japan’s largest exhibition venues, that facilitates cross-cultural exchanges, intending to advance mutual understanding and inclusion through the power of art.
I am delighted with this exhibition, which is a wonderful way to pursue our work aimed at broadening and questioning the reception and artistic legacy of Picasso, and which is in a way in line with the universalism of his own creations. Finally, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Paul Smith for his appealing and original proposal and for the friendship he has forged with the Musée national Picasso-Paris.

Cécile Debray (President of the Musée national Picasso-Paris)

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