© Sucesión Picasso, VEGAP, Madrid, 2023
Puppet shows, music, documentaries and bullfights are some of the activities that museums and town councils in Spain have devised to commemorate, from today until 9 April, the death of Pablo Picasso, which falls on 8 April. These activities are part of the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023 programme, an initiative of the Spanish and French governments that highlights the work and life of the artist in the year of the 50th anniversary of his death, the programme for which began last autumn.
The proposals to mark the date of the commemoration begin today with the screening of the documentary Guernica: The Last Exile at the Reina Sofía Museum, a film that recalls the arrival of the iconic mural in Spain in September 1981, seven months after the coup d'état. Witnesses who were present at the time tell for the first time, in detail, the story of the political process of the transition and recovery of one of Picasso's most recognisable works.
The screening begins with a presentation by Guillermo Logar, director of the short film, and ends with a discussion with Álvaro Martínez-Novillo, the protagonist of the negotiations, and Genoveva Tusell, a specialist in this process; both share their testimonies and experiences of this moment.
The Museo Picasso-Colección Eugenio Arias in Madrid has organised a Picassian Marathon on 8 April, which will consist of eight shows and activities involving classical music, jazz, rap, circus, dance and puppetry.
From 2 to 27 April, the Filmoteca will offer a documentary cycle entitled Misterio Picasso 1973-2023, which will deal with Picasso's relationship with Malaga, his love of bullfighting, his career during the Transition in Spain and the importance of such universal symbols as Guernica, a collective emblem in the defence of human rights.
For its part, Malaga City Council will hold its traditional Easter Week bullfight on 8 April, which this year has been renamed Corrida de toros Picassiana in honour of the artist, and which returns to the La Malagueta bullring, after six years suspended due to renovations to the bullring and the pandemic.
During the event, the bullfighters Cayetano Rivera Ordóñez, Juan Ortega and Pablo Aguado will perform in front of bulls from the Álvaro Núñez bull-ranch, which will be making its debut at the Malagueta bullring.
Before the bullfight, Juan Ortega will walk from Picasso's birthplace to La Malagueta bullring dressed in bullfighting costume, recalling the steps the painter used to take with his father when he went to see the bullfights.
On the other hand, the Casa Natal Picasso Museum will have an open day on the 8th and 9th of April so that anyone who wants to can access both the artist's Birthplace and the exhibition hall in Plaza de la Merced.
In addition, on the same 8th April, the Friends of the Picasso Birthplace Association has organised a visit with an explanation focusing on the cape in which the artist was buried, of which the museum has a replica.
And the Museo Picasso Málaga has also prepared several children's workshops for the day.
The already closed exhibitions in Madrid and Barcelona have offered Picasso lovers an opportunity to learn about the artist's legacy and his influence on the whole of the 20th century. The recently inaugurated exhibition at the Museo de Belas Artes in A Coruña, Picasso blanco en el recuerdo azul, can be visited during these days and until 25 June, showing a lesser-known aspect of his early training: his years in A Coruña.
The set of activities around the commemoration provides an opportunity to continue admiring and learning about new facets of his life and work, in a wider context and in an interactive way.
The commissioner for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Picasso's death, Carlos Alberdi, emphasises: "Picasso Year will have more than fifty events and exhibitions to remember the Malaga-born artist in Spain and internationally. We are now approaching 8 April 2023, the key day of this Celebration, which will mark half a century since his death. There have been numerous activities in memory of Picasso over the last 30 years, but now Spain and France are giving him the great tribute he deserves".