Some of Peggy Guggenheim’s favourite works of art form the core of this small show themed on beach works by the great Picasso. The star of the exhibition is On the Beach (La Baignade) shown next to its preparatory sketch for the first time and astonishingly executed on the same day in 1937.
The work illustrates a comment I once heard from a Malaga-based artist who knew Picasso, “He was extremely fast and very popular with art dealers who could always rely on having a steady stream of product to sell.” It has been estimated that when in painting mode Picasso averaged three works a day, using minimal underpainting and relying on his powers of drawing and composition.
This exhibition is part of Picasso-Méditerranée initiative in which 60 institutions offer a journey across the Mediterranean to the places that inspired Picasso.
Until January 17th at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy www.guggenheim-venice.it
