The Picasso Connection   16.03. – 29.08.2021

The Picasso Connection: The Artist and his Gallerist

The Kunsthalle Bremen holds one of the most important collections of Pablo Picasso’s printed works in Germany. Like no other artist of the twentieth century, Picasso embraced the diversity of graphic techniques and substantially expanded them through artistic variation and experimentation. For the first time, this exhibition presents the whole breadth of the out-standing holdings of prints and drawings in the Kunsthalle Bremen and examines the unique history of the collection.

The Kunsthalle was one of the first German museums to purchase works, including paintings, by this artist after 1945. The  acquisitions came about through the efforts of the Bremen art dealer Michael Hertz, who was the exclusive representative of Picasso’s printed works in Germany – a visionary at a time when Picasso’s work was still controversial. With his finetuned instincts, Hertz placed the works on the market and in important exhibitions – such as the documenta III in 1964. Thanks to his dedication, museums and collectors soon also coveted Picasso’s works. The Kunsthalle rapidly expanded its holdings of Picasso prints to create one of the most extensive collections in Germany at the time. It gave the museum its modern face, a reputation which continues to this day. Especially Picasso’s large and colourful lithographs and linocuts inspired numerous artists and breathed new life into these media.

Hairy stories

Body hair and Picasso: Hairy stories wanted!

Pablo Picasso's works often depict underarm, chest and intimate hair as well as thinning out hair of head or of the beard. These are all hair themes that today are often associated with feelings of shame or embarrassment. According to common ideals of beauty, everybody has too much hair here or too little hair there. On the occasion of the Picasso exhibition, the Kunsthalle Bremen would like to support an open approach to body hair in the spirit of body positivity and encourage the questioning of body and beauty norms. Therefore we are calling on photographers to submit photos of body hair in all its facets and associated memories or experiences.
You can read more on this topic on our Blog.

Details on the call “Hairy Stories“
Until 31 January 2021, photos of body hair could have been submitted. Anything from bushy armpit hair to light head or beard hair to a lady's beard and hairs on the nose is permitted. Photos of primary sexual characteristics are excluded. In addition, related stories and thoughts should also be submitted. The texts should not exceed 1,000 characters with spaces. A selection of photos and their stories will subsequently be presented in the new permanent exhibition “20/20 Vision“ in the Sculpture Hall. The Sculpture Hall is entitled “Images of the Human“ (Bilder vom Menschen) and shows representations of the human body. In antiquity, body hair was depicted meticulously on sculptures, but the sculptures presented from the Bremen collection are from later periods and only show hair on the head. By adding photographs of body hair, the museum aims to broaden the discourse on (beauty) ideals in the representation of human bodies.
Further information on the exhibition „Hairy Stories“ (22.05. to 19.09.2021)

Accompanying Media

Exhibition Catalogue
Published by Hatje Cantz Verlag (in German and English) | 224 pages. Along with reproductions, the exhibition catalogue brings together essays by Kai Hohenfeld, Manuela Husemann, and Barbara Nierhoff-Wielk.
Museum edition Kunsthalle Bremen: € 32,- (no shipment)
Bookstore edition: € 44,- (German ISBN 978-3-7757-4804-9 | English: ISBN 978-3-7757-4805-6)

Accompanying Booklet
With summary explanations of the exhibition, free (German/English)

Audio Tour
Audio guide for adults (in German and English) | € 4,-

Drawing Booklet
All children and open-minded adults receive a drawing booklet free of charge.

You can also find articles on the Picasso Connection on our Blog (in German only).

Accompanying Exhibition in the Department of Prints and Drawings

The complementary exhibition “Art Hertz: From Kollwitz to Miró” will be on display simultaneously in the Department of Prints and Drawings with printed works that the Kunsthalle Bremen acquired through the Michael Hertz gallery, demonstrating the wide-ranging business relations between Hertz and the Kunsthalle.

 

(Fig. exhibition overview: Pablo Picasso, Bacchanal with Black Bull, 1959, © Succession Picasso / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020)

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