Show of Picasso sculptures opens in Rome

(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).