Picasso and the masters of art

Grand Palais, Paris, France

until feb 2, 2009

Fascinating exhibition to be seen if in Paris. Art in its glory where a painter of the 20th century recognizes the work of his predecessors and has moved on to become a master himself. He says: "there is no past or future in art". In confronting the old works, he puts himself in constant evolution of the expression of his art. He defies the present by pushing further the barriers of the known.

When visiting an exhibition of children's art, he says: " When I was their age, I used to paint like Raphael, it took me a life time to paint like them".

"An artist atelier has to be a laboratory, we are not doing monkey's work, we are inventing. Painting is a mind game." he believes while breaking away from academic procedures. 

In the Grand Palais, in rooms with themes: the nude, self portrait, still lifes... the delicate presentation of El Greco, Picasso, Velasquez, Picasso, Manet, Picasso etc... gives the sensation of a ballet on a stage where time and history has vanished. A Pause on the race of yesterday and tomorrow with a dialogue now of esthetics, beauty, pain, love, deconstruction, cubism...

and specially what each painter had the courage to express.

("Le matador saluant" by Manet, "Matador" by Picasso)