Picasso: The Sacred and the Profane at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza

‘Picasso: The Sacred and the Profane’ is an exhibition curated by Paloma Alarcó to bring a close to the series of projects created to honour the Spanish artist in the Picasso Celebration 1973/2023 which marks 50 years since his death. The main theme of this show is to explore how Picasso explored topics such as religion and tradition in his bold and original style. The exhibition brings together a total of 38 works, 22 by Picasso, others by Goya, Rubens, Delacroix, and a few more renowned names of the art world. The exhibition initiates a dialogue about the contradictions of Picasso’s distinctive art, the interpretation of European artistic tradition, and the genres often presented. The pieces are focused on history, religion, myths, portraiture, and still lifes addressing universal themes of life, death, sex, violence, and pain.