THE Alhambrathis eternal refuge of legends and Andalusian beauty, will host this winter an unusual meeting between two titans of artistic creation. The traces of Pablo Picassothe master who reinvented 20th century art, and Jeff Koonsthe sculptor who constantly challenges the limits of contemporary aesthetics, will find himself behind the walls of the Palace of Charles V in an exhibition, this promises much more than a confrontation of styles. Rather a dialogue between the past and the present through the work of two artists whose transgression of the serene and rigid atmosphere of the monument.
‘Strengths. Picasso / Koons at the Alhambra will be inaugurated soon December 17 and will remain open until March 16, 2025. The exhibition, presented this Monday at the Picasso Museum in Málaga, benefits from the collaboration of the Almine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Foundation (FABA) and the sponsorship of the Unicaja Foundation. It is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Government of Andalusia as part of the “Picasso Reflections” initiative, which aims to publicize the work of the Malaga genius. emblematic places of Andalusia and who chose the Nasrid monument as their first destination in 2024.
At the heart of this exhibition will be five works which will interact with each other: two by Pablo Picasso and three by the American Jeff Koons. In the courtyard of the Charles V Palace, modern sculpture “Three Graces” (2016-2022) by Koons, made of polished stainless steel with a transparent finish, will contrast with the rigid environment of the palace’s circular patio, considered the most important work of the Renaissance in Spain.
‘The Three Graces’ by Pablo Picasso and ‘Three Graces’ by Koons which will be present in the exhibition
The interior of the Granada Museum of Fine Arts, located in the palace, will house two works by Picasso: ‘The Three Graces’ (1923), an intimate reflection on beauty, and “Head with helmet” (1933), a bronze sculpture which testifies to the artist’s mastery. Alongside these pieces, two works by Koons from his “Gazing Ball” series (2015-2016), which merge the ancient and the contemporary.
For the artistic director of the Picasso Museum in Málaga, Miguel López-Remirothis exhibition represents a modern vision of the museum as a space that transcends the limitsa place of meeting and dialogue in multiple contexts.
Miguel López-Remiro, MPM artistic director; José M. Domínguez, president of the Unicaja Foundation; Macarena O’Neill, Deputy Minister of Culture and Sports of the Government of Andalusia; Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, President of the MPM Executive Council and Co-President of the Almine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Foundation (FABA) and Rodrigo Ruiz-Jiménez, Director General of the Alhambra and Generalife Council
On opening day there will be a public conversation between Jeff Koons and Joachim Pissarro, art historian and great-grandson of the famous artist Camille Pissarro on the influence of Picasso.
The collaboration between the Picasso Museum in Málaga and the Unicaja Foundationwhich has supported previous exhibitions such as “María Blanchard. Painter despite Cubism” and “Picasso sculptor”. Materia y cuerpo’, is consolidated with this new project aimed at promoting the expansion of the heritage of Málaga.
