Picasso Masterpieces Not-to-be-Missed in Richmond
Picasso: Masterpieces from Musée National Picasso, Paris opens for its 3-month run at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond on February 19th. As the only East Coast venue for the exhibition’s nine-city international tour, this is a rare chance to see a collection of the renowned modern artist and co-founder of the Cubist art movement.
The exhibition includes works from each of Pablo Picasso’s major periods throughout his eight decade career. The collection includes a total of 176 works, all from Picasso’s personal collection from the Musée National Picasso in Paris, which houses the largest and most significant collect of Picasso’s works.
The collection includes pieces from Picassos somber Blue and Rose periods, African-influenced art, the skewed perspectives of the Cubist movement, neoclassic, surrealism and later modern abstract works.
Considered by some to be the most significant artist of the 20th century, the collection includes both famous and not so famous pieces from the Spanish artist. La Celestina from 1904 is an early example from his Blue period. Subjects of other pieces include the musician in the Cubist painting Man with a Guitar; women, a subject he commonly features, in pieces such as Two Women Running on the Beach (The Race) from 1922, to animals with Head of a Bull and The Goat. The collection also includes a 1970 self-portrait entitled The Matador.
Picasso’s career spanned the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and the Korean War, all which had an influence on his work. He died at age 91 in 1973. During his highly prolific career, he completed a reported 50,000 pieces, including more than 1,850 painting, and 12,000 drawings, among other pieces. Picasso also associated with a who’s–who of iconic artists including Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, and Diego Velázquez.
The exhibition includes examples of oil and watercolor paintings, drawings, cast bronzes, wood carvings, and even illustrated books.
Several Richmond area hotels are offering special packages with accommodations, 2 tickets to the exhibit, and other benefits such as museum shuttle service, breakfast, restaurant vouchers, museum gift cards, or free valet parking (prices exclude tax). The hotels include:
- Berkeley Hotel - 1200 E. Clay Street – $160-$269
- Best Western Executive – 7007 West Broad Street – From $95
- Country Inn & Suites Richmond West – 8010 West Broad Street – From $95
- Courtyard Richmond Northwest – 3950 Westerre Parkway & Courtyard Richmond West
6400 West Broad Street – From $94 - Embassy Suites Richmond - 2925 Emerywood Parkway – From $149
- Hilton Garden Inn Downtown – 501 East Broad Street – $165
- Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa – 191 Towne Center West Blvd. – $189
- Holiday Inn Richmond South – 4303 Commerce Road – starting under $100
- Jefferson Hotel - 101 West Franklin Street – $265
- Linden Row Inn - 100 East Franklin Street – $179
- Maury Place at Monument - 3101 West Franklin Street – 10% off standard bed & breakfast rates
- Omni Richmond Hotel - 100 South 12th Street – $169
- The Westin Richmond – 6631 West Broad Street – From $119
Picasso: Masterpieces from Musée National Picasso, Paris — Virginia Museum of Fine Arts -200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia (map)
Dates and Hours – Daily – Saturdays – Wednesday – 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Thursday & Friday – 10:00 – 9:00.
Tickets - Adults – $20.00; Seniors, students with ID and children 7-17 – $16.00, children under 7 are free. Tickets are available online, by phone at or at the museum.
Parking – Limited deck parking at the museum is available for $3.00. parking or area paid garage parking is available.
Images – Courtesy of VMFA – Two Women Running on the Beach (The Race), Summer 1922, Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973), gouache on plywood, 12 13/16 x 16 3/16 in. (32.5 x 41.1 cm). Musée National Picasso, Paris, Copyright 2010 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
