Historic ‘Picasso and Paper’ exhibition in Cleveland
The long-anticipated exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA), Picasso and Paper, offers a groundbreaking new look at Pablo Picasso’s lifelong experimentation with paper. Opening Sunday, December 8, 2024, and on display through March 23, 2025, in both the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation Exhibition Hall and Gallery spaces, Picasso and Paper showcases nearly 300 works spanning Picasso’s almost eight-decade career.
The artist’s diverse use of paper is the subject of this blockbuster exhibition, which was organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in partnership with the Musée national Picasso-Paris. From expressive prints and drawings to colossal collages, Picasso’s works on and with paper showcase his extraordinary capacity to innovate and reinvent himself using a material with limitless possibilities. These are juxtaposed with some of the artist’s celebrated paintings on canvas and bronze sculpture.
“To create the innovative works for which he is remembered today, Picasso returned again and again to paper, ultimately producing thousands of prints and drawings,” Britany Salsbury, CMA curator of prints and drawings, said. “We’re excited to be able to feature these works alongside experimental paper cutouts, Cubist collages, and even torn and burned shapes created for his closest friends. Together, the artworks in Picasso and Paper offer an opportunity to see the artist at his most radical. They also allow us to better understand the collaborative relationships—with printers, publishers, dealers, models, and partners—that contributed to his canonical reputation.”
The exhibition opens with paper cutouts made by Picasso at the age of nine, then proceeds chronologically, covering his long, rich career. Endlessly fascinated with new and varied types of paper, Picasso used traditional materials, but also others that were unusual, including mass-produced wallpapers and daily newspapers.
The numerous highlights in Picasso and Paper include Women at Their Toilette (1937–38), an extraordinarily large collage (9 13/16 x 14 1/2 feet) of cut-and-pasted papers, exhibited for the first time in the United States; other rarely seen Cubist collages; the artist’s private sketchbooks, including studies for his best-known paintings; constructed paper guitars from the Cubist and Surrealist periods; prints that reveal Picasso’s complex working process; and an array of works related to the artist’s most celebrated paintings and sculptural projects.
“Paper offered Picasso an intimate space in which he could not only respond to events in his personal life and in the world around him, but also carry out formal experimentation,” Salsbury said. “Picasso and Paper traces some of the most significant shifts in modern art through his practice and features rarely seen artworks from the most internationally significant holdings of his work.”
The exhibition also includes the CMA’s La Vie (1903), from Picasso’s Blue Period, featured with preparatory drawings and other works on paper exploring corresponding themes. In the Cubist section, Picasso’s bronze Head of a Woman (Fernande) (1909) (Musée national Picasso-Paris) will be surrounded by a large group of related drawings. Seen together, these groupings highlight the connections that Picasso saw between media, his fascination with the materials that he worked with, and the integral role that paper played throughout his artistic practice. Picasso and Paper was originally scheduled to open at the CMA in September 2020 but was delayed due to the global pandemic.
“We are eager to share Picasso and Paper at its only North American venue,” William M. Griswold, director and president of the Cleveland Museum of Art, said. “This exhibition offers an opportunity for visitors to better understand Picasso and his influence on modern art, or for those already familiar with the artist to see him in an entirely new light. The innovative focus of this exhibition allows for numerous surprises and encourages us to see Picasso’s genius in a new and thought-provoking way.”
For more details about reserving tickets for Picasso and Papervisit: clevelandart.org/exhibitions/picasso-and-paper
Ticket Pricing
Adults $22; seniors and groups $15; member guests, students, and children ages 6–17 $11; children 5 and under and CMA members free.
The CMA recommends reserving tickets through its online platform by visiting the exhibition webpage. Tickets can also be reserved by phone at 216-421-7350 or on-site at one of the ticket desks.
Tickets are expected to book quickly and are not guaranteed. Your first choice of date and time may not be available, so please have other date and time options in mind when reserving tickets. Advance ticket sales are highly recommended.
Complementary Programming
Wednesday, December 4, Tuesday, December 10, Thursday, December 19, 2024, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Ames Family Atrium
Free
Inspired by the exhibition Picasso and Paper, view a selection of artworks that explore the use of paper. Explore a selection of authentic works of art from the CMA’s Education Art Collection. Educators and docents answer your questions and share information.
Artist in the Atrium
Paper & Picasso: A Hands-On Papermaking Experience
Artist: The Morgan Conservatory
Saturday, December 14, 2024, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
Ames Family Atrium
Free
Every third Saturday of each month, stop by the Ames Family Atrium between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to get a firsthand look at the art-making process. Each session provides the opportunity to engage and interact with a different Northeast Ohio maker during pop-up demonstrations and activities. See their work unfold and learn how artists create. Explore a related selection of authentic objects from the CMA’s Education Art Collection in a pop-up Art Up Close session. See, think, and wonder.
Join the Morgan Conservatory for an introduction to papermaking. In connection with the exhibition Picasso and Paper, learn the basics of fiber processing, sheet formation, and studio tools through hands-on demos. Leave with your own handmade paper—no experience needed!
The Morgan Conservatory is a 501(c)3 nonprofit institution and the largest arts center in the United States dedicated to every facet of papermaking, book arts, and letterpress printing and to cultivating the talents of established and emerging artists.
MIX: España
Friday, February 7, 2025, 6:00–10:00 p.m.
Ames Family Atrium
Ticket required
Join us on February 7 at MIX: España, a Spanish extravaganza celebrating the CMA’s special exhibition Picasso and Paper. Abrepaso Flamenco featuring Alice Blumenfeld with music by Dominick Farinacci opens the evening with a performance and dance lesson. For the remainder of the evening, LOLO, host of the iconic Dirty Disco at the Foundation Room and resident DJ at Baxter’s Speakeasy, will spin a set combining Spanish electro music, techno, and house. Spanish-themed food and drink items, including cocktails, beer, and wine, are available to purchase from Bon Appétit. Don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes to this evening’s fiesta.
Disclaimer: No full-face masks, heavy face paint, glitter, weapon-like props, or excessively oversized costumes are permitted. All outfits are subject to security screening. The Cleveland Museum of Art may refuse entry to any visitor whose attire does not comply with these requirements.
Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Transformer Station
Coinciding with the exhibition Picasso and Paper, the CMA is thrilled to welcome Spanish guitarist Pipo Romero to Transformer Station for his Cleveland debut.
Romero, a gifted composer and virtuoso acoustic guitarist from Cádiz, Spain, has become a prominent figure in the acoustic-guitar scene. His unique fusion of styles, labeled “Spanish Acoustic Finger Style,” has garnered praise from critics and journalists. His compositions blend folk, flamenco, Celtic, and classical melodies, creating an emotional and multicultural experience.
With his third album, Ikigai, released in April 2022, Romero reached #28 on the Transglobal World Music Chart. Ikigai is an ode to Spanish folklore and its crossover with Atlantic folk sounds, composed and performed on a steel-string guitar, full of colors and nuances. Performing internationally, including at Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center in the US, the World Music Festival Tawain, and the Adriatico Mediterraneo Festival in Italy, he continues to captivate audiences with his vibrant performances.
Cleveland Ballet: Impressions of Picasso
Friday, March 14, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Gartner Auditorium
Ticket required
Coinciding with the exhibition Picasso and Paper, the CMA is thrilled to welcome Cleveland Ballet to present its program “Impressions of Picasso.”
At a young age, Pablo Picasso discovered his interest in dance, which continued throughout his life, leading to his involvement in various aspects of 10 ballet productions. Picasso’s imprint can be seen in his designs of stage curtains, costumes, sets, and backdrops. In this program, Cleveland Ballet presents two ballets inspired by Picasso’s works: Guernica and Harlequin. Both ballets embody the spirits of their original paintings and reflect their angles, colors, and passions through every movement. Additionally, Cleveland Ballet performs Walpurgisnacht from Gounod’s Faust, which depicts the folk celebration before May Day.
Play Day: Paper Play
Sunday, March 16, 2025, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Ames Family Atrium
Free
Play Days at the CMA are free opportunities for families to be creative and curious and connect through art together. Events include music, storybook readings, games, and art making for the whole family. Each event has a theme that relates to an exhibition, artist, or artworks in the CMA’s collection.
Step into Play Day and explore the wonders of paper come to life! Unfold your creativity with hands-on activities that invite you to explore paper in all its forms, inspired by Picasso and Paper.
By Chadd Scott