(by Marzia Apice).
(ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 23 - The faces and bodies of women,
the animals, abstract figures, fragments, objects in a constant
deconstruction that turns a revolutionary train of thought into
matter is at the center of an exhibit opening Wednesday at
Rome's Borghese Gallery to display 56 sculptures made by Picasso
between 1905 and 1964.
The show, which runs through February 3, is called 'Picasso.
La scultura'' (Picasso. The sculpture). It is the first
dedicated to this particular aspect of the artist's production,
although sculpture was an integral part of his art throughout
his career.
Picasso used sculpture to experiment, exploring old avenues
and opening new ones, following the history of the 1900s and his
own personal existence.
Picasso's innovative spirit is clear throughout the show and
how the artist used sculpture to give his ideas a concrete body.
When sculpting, using the most diverse materials (from wood to
bronze, ceramic and cardboard), he sought inspiration in the
women he loved, going beyond the traditional language of
sculpture, destroying and recreating, opening to abstraction as
well as seeking inspiration from classical and African art.
All this is clear, for instance, in Fernande (1909), the
first cubist sculpture, which is conceived to be observed form
every point of view and not just from the front.
A great part of the show's attraction is its focus on the
dialectic relationship between Picasso's revolution and the
Borghese Gallery's collection, which embraces antiquity and
modern art: exploring various themes, the history of myths and
conveying new inspiration in the mixture between the sculptures
of the Spanish artist (mostly coming from the Musée National
Picasso in Paris and from private collections) and the
masterpieces of the Roman museum. Indeed Picasso visited the
gallery in 1917 to study Bernini's sculpture.
A photo exhibit, including videos, is also open to the public
to give visitors a glimpse into the context in which the
sculptures were made.
''With Picasso's sculpture we wanted to see the effect of the
20th century on the Borghese Gallery'', Anna Coliva, the
Gallery's director and curator of the show with Diana
Widmaier-Picasso, told ANSA. ''We started our reflection on
sculpture with Giacometti, now we are continuing with Picasso,
whose work conveys an explosive vital force''.
''The artist created a direct physical relationship with
ancient art, devouring everything and giving back something
else. And he added irony, breaking the rhetoric of classical
sculpture''. (ANSAmed).
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