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Picasso and Marie-Thérèse: L’Amour Fou

by habituallychic

04 . 16 . 11
If you are looking for something to do this weekend, I suggest heading over to the Gagosian Gallery to see the new Picasso exhibition, Picasso and Marie-Thérèse: L’Amour Fou.  When Picasso saw the beautiful and blonde Marie-Thérèse Walter outside the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris in 1927, he told her, “You have an interesting face.  I would like to do a portrait of you.  I have a feeling we will do great things together.”  The fact that she was 16 and he was 45 and married didn’t matter and she went on to become his muse and mistress.  The exhibition chronicles the life of Marie-Thérèse and their love affair through Picasso’s paintings. There is a wonderful excerpt from the exhibition catalog written by John Richardson in the May 2011 issue of Vanity Fair and online for those of you who can’t make it to the show in person.  The exhibition was also made possible with help from Diana Widmaier-Picasso, the granddaughter or Picasso and Marie-Thérèse.
Picasso and Marie-Thérèse: L’Amour Fou
Gagosian Gallery
522 West 21st Street
New York, NY 10011
April 14 – June 25, 2011
www.gagosian.com
Marie-Thérèse Leaning on One Arm, 1939
Marie-Thérèse Coiffee d’un Beret, 1927

Photo of Marie-Thérèse Walter, date unknown
Top Painting: Marie-Thérèse with Garland, 1937

10 Comments
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  1. Susan M. Jamieson, ASID April 16, 2011 | 2:32 pm

    We have a huge exhibit in Richmond Virginia on Picasso from Paris. Check it out on the website http://www.vmfa.com

  2. Maria April 16, 2011 | 3:22 pm

    beautiful! I read a book about Picasso’s houses some days ago…

    http://design-elements-blog.com/

  3. Karena April 16, 2011 | 4:00 pm

    Heather I would love to see this exhibit!!

    Of all of Picasso’s love, he always gave Marie
    Therese the most respect as is reflected in the paintings of her. ( compare with Dora Mar)

    Come over and enter my fashionable Giveaway from The French Basketeer…

    Xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

  4. Melis April 16, 2011 | 4:20 pm

    lovely! i think that aspect of his life is so interesting

    check out my blog and etsy!
    http://hammocksandtrampolines.blogspot.com
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  5. An Urban Cottage April 16, 2011 | 6:48 pm

    How interesting to see her in photograph (what a figure!), drawing and cubist painting. Even abstracted, you can see the resemblance.

  6. Kimberly Grigg April 16, 2011 | 7:25 pm

    She was absolutely stunning. What a wonderful post and article in Vanity Fair!

  7. Tamra of walkswithBella April 16, 2011 | 9:51 pm

    Thanks for sharing!! This is the perfect Sunday activity.

  8. Ali@ bdgstyle.blogspot.com April 16, 2011 | 10:52 pm

    LOVE Picasso-I would love to see this exhibit!

  9. Jeanne April 17, 2011 | 10:39 pm

    People are sometimes puzzled by Picasso. They don’t “understand it” . The dog, the cat, the four-year old down the street, the elephant in the zoo, could all do a better job of painting than Picasso, they say.

    If one looks simply at a Picasso with the view that it is not pretty like a Monet or Renoir, or it is not dreamy like a Waterhouse, or realistic like a Vermeer, one will surely be disappointed.

    However, if viewed with what his paintings did for the world of art, the effect could be much different. Picasso saw that although only one side of an object can be seen, the other sides still exist at the same time – so he painted that way.
    At the beginning of the 20th century all art changed completely. Every kind of art from sculpture to music to literature to painting and even architecture was being transformed. Whole new forms of art were developing, like recording and film, and communication. A prevailing question about painting the way the old masters did was with the invention and perfection of photography. Paintings do not have to have be a copy of what we can actually see when we can simply take a picture of it. Picasso, among others, began to ask through his paintings, “Why can’t we do it this way?”

    Whether one likes, or “gets” Picasso is really not necessary. The goal is to understand Picasso’s role in the development of Modernism, which opened the door to all future artistic possibilities.

  10. The enchanted home April 18, 2011 | 1:34 am

    I have long been fascinated by Picasso and his paintings that have intrigued, fascinated and even repelled some. His well known interpetation of Renaissance perspective are of utmost importance to the evolution of moderism and abstraction. I am utterly fascinated and am taking a day trip this Thursday to go to the exhibit with a very art saavy/art historian friend…absolutely cannot wait! I know I am in for a treat……thanks for the preview!