Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) was one of the most inventive and influential talents ever to explore the medium of print.
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) was not only a master of painting and sculpture but also one of the most innovative and prolific printmakers of the 20th century making over 2,400 prints during his career. From his early years as an artist in Paris to his old age in the South of France, printmaking offered Picasso the opportunity to develop ideas, tell stories and embark on new creative adventures.
This exhibition showcases around 100 prints by Pablo Picasso (1881‒1973), including some never-displayed pieces from his acclaimed 347 Suite. The British Museum collection of his prints has grown in recent years and is now the largest collection in the UK at over 500.
Throughout his career, Picasso embraced a wide array of printmaking techniques, including etching, lithograph, and linocut, using these mediums to explore new ways of expressing his artistic vision. Printmaking allowed him to experiment with form, texture and composition in a way that was distinct from his painted works. It also provided him with a means of reflecting on his own personal life, his relationships with his wives and lovers and his sometimes tender but, at times, troubling depictions of sex.
The exhibition features prints made in the early 1900s, before and after Picasso's breakthrough painting Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), which paved the way for Cubism. It also includes a group of prints from the Vollard Suite, a series of 100 etchings made in the 1930s that shows the influence of classical art on Picasso's work and a reflection of his tumultuous personal life.
Picasso's prints reveal his deep engagement with both classical traditions and modernist innovation. His prints not only represent significant artistic achievements but also offer a window into his ever-evolving relationship with the world around him, including his reflections on themes like the circus, the bullfight, love, and mythology.
Picasso's contribution to printmaking remains a pivotal aspect of his legacy, demonstrating his capacity for reinvention and his lifelong commitment to pushing the boundaries of artistic expression. The exhibition ends with a selection from the 347 Suite, named after the number of prints in the series, which Picasso completed aged 86 in 1968, in a remarkable burst of late creativity.
Picasso: printmaker: 7 November 2024 – 30 March 2025
Room 90: Prints and drawings
The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG
Opening Hours Daily: 10.00–17.00 (Fridays: 20.30)
Further Information: What's on at the British Museum in 2024/25? | British Museum