Picasso Exhibition in Landerneau

Every year the Fonds Hélène et Éduard Leclerc in Landerneau stages at least one major art exhibition of international stature. This year the Picasso Exhibition in Landerneau was mind-blowing – better than anything I have seen in London apart from two exhibitions at the RA: Chagall and Hokusai.

In this small town in the west of Brittany I have had the pleasure, and privilege, of seeing Giacometti and Chagall, and this year it was a wonderful exhibition of Picasso (1881-1973) – paintings, drawings, and sculptures held in a private collection belonging to Catherine Hutin, Jacqueline Roque’s daughter. What a privilege to be able to wander around, go away for a coffee, and then come back again to revisit first impressions and ideas! Do not miss if you are in the area, and do consider making a special trip to see this wonderful exhibition.

Picasso was introduced to painting as a small boy and it was immediately obvious that his was an extraordinary talent. The portrait below was painted when he was 14 years old. And within years he was able to start, together with Braque, the Cubist movement, moving from the Romantic portrait below to the abstract image which follows.

His drawings are wonderful – just a few lines, no ‘mistakes’, no changes, and there it is..

Women were always part of his life and this private collection is interesting in the number of portraits of women which it includes – and I loved the picture below –

The Tate in London is going to stage a major exhibition of Picasso’s works – from 1932 – in 2018. One work from that year was in the exhibition in Landerneau –

Jacqueline Roque was Picass’s second and they married in 1961. There are several portraits of Jacqueline in the exhibition – all beautiful.

And he never stopped being creative, striving to express new ideas – what a tremendous example he set us.