DURHAM ó Pablo Picasso’s lifelong relationship with writers and the ways language affected his work will be the focus of an exhibition coming to the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.
“Picasso and the Allure of Language” includes 60 works created by Picasso between 1900 and 1969. The Nasher Museum is the only traveling venue for the exhibition, which will be on view at the museum on Duke’s campus from Aug. 20 through Jan 3, 2010.
The exhibition focuses on Picasso’s life after moving from his native Spain to the bohemian Montmartre section of Paris in 1904. There, he formed friendships with important French writers and poets, including Max Jacob, Pierre Reverdy and Guillaume Apollinaire.
In 1905, Picasso met Gertrude Stein, the expatriate American writer who guided in art collecting by her brother Leo, became the artist’s principal patron in Paris until 1914. Works made by Picasso for the Steins are included in the show.
The exhibition also includes works by fellow artist Georges Braque and photographs, letters, manuscripts and book projects by a diverse group of artists and writers. The exhibition will be complemented by “Africa and Picasso,” a small exhibition inspired by Picasso’s own collection of African art.
The Nasher Museum, 2001 Campus Drive at Anderson Street on the Duke campus, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday; and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is closed Mondays.
Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and members of the Duke Alumni Association, $3 for non-Duke students with identification and free for children 15 and younger. Admission is free to all on Thursday nights. Admission is free to Duke students, faculty and staff with Duke Cards. Admission is also free to Nasher Museum members.
Additional information is available at www.nasher.duke.edu.