Carol Vogel promotes a Gagosian show of late Picasso Musketeers and assorted other works. But don’t miss the multimedia features with John Richardson discussing the works.
Before the economy soured this fall, late Picassos were all the rage. They were considerably cheaper than his earlier works, and contemporary art collectors found their quirkiness appealing. But during the years he was producing them, even Picasso’s own circle thought differently. [ . . . ]
While his output was immense, even his dealer, Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, was skeptical about the work. “People thought he had lost it,” Mr. Richardson said. “But this was actually an amazing burst of volcanic energy. He wanted to somehow assimilate the whole Western figurative tradition and Picassify it.” [ . . . ]
About 10 percent of the show is for sale, Ms. Castellani said. Prices range from $2 million to $20 million for the paintings and $6,000 to $40,000 for the prints. Family members have lent works. (A grandson of the artist, Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, also had a hand in organizing the show.) And there are loans from institutions like the Museum of Modern Art and the Foundation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland, as well as private collectors like the hedge-fund billionaire Steven A. Cohen and his wife, Alexandra.
That the show is being held in one of Gagosian’s Chelsea spaces rather than its uptown site might at first seem curious, but the decision was deliberate. “To have it in a contemporary art area in Gagosian’s most contemporary space is to show Picasso as if he were a young artist,” Mr. Richardson said. “You suddenly see him in a new light.”
A Personal Lesson in Late-Period Picasso (New York Times)
Multimedia Features (New York Times)