Picasso often appeared in his own works, his method of overlaying the main motif in the composition with an image of himself being one of the driving forces behind his creativity. In one work he may depict himself as a Minotaur, a half-animal, half-human monster, while in another he could be the artist painting the model. His works express love and pathos, violence and death, or the joy of life and this way of identifying with his subjects provided him with a means of suppressing the emotions that welled up within as well as a method of manifesting what he held in his heart. In this exhibition, the collection has been divided according to 20 themes, and we hope that these will provide the viewer with an opportunity to discover Picasso’s images of himself within his creative motifs.

Sunday, June 29, 2025 -

No. of works on display: 135
(including one work by David Douglas Duncan and eight works by David Douglas Duncan)

Exhibition Layout

It consists of 20 subjects (themes) focusing on the motifs (motives) of Picasso’s Production.
Within a single theme, one can see the various techniques and years of production of the work.

Gallery 1 26 works Display of large-scale two-dimensional art and tapestries

Themes

1. Artist and Models
2. Minotaur
3. Cubism
4. Children
5. Men’s Faces
6. Caricatures

Gallery 2 57 works Display of ceramics

Themes

8. Round Faces
9. Animals
10. Birds
11. Bulls and Bullfighters
12. Square Faces
13. Still Lifes
14. Human Figures
15. Amusing Faces

Gallery 3 52 works Display of small- and medium-sized two-dimensional art and small three-dimensional artworks; screening of The Mystery of Picasso

Themes

16. Men and Women
17. Music and Banquets
18. Latter Years
19. La Tauromaquia (Bullfighting)
20. Pan and Bacchanalia
21. Documentary Photographs ‘Painting Bullfighting Scenes’