A masterpiece by an artist who is rarely seen in Italian public collections, one of the most incredible and multifaceted personalities of the 20th century: until 31 January 2025, Pablo Picasso’s painting “Fruit, Dish, Bottle and Violin” is on display at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in a special room designed for the event. The work is owned by the National Gallery in London, which has lent its only painting by Pablo Picasso in exchange for Vincent van Gogh’s painting “L’Arlesienne” (Portrait of Madame Ginoux), flown to England to take part in the exhibition “Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers”.
Painted in 1914, the painting is a significant document in Picasso’s development of the Cubist aesthetic. Around 1912-13, the artist began to adopt a new approach to picture-making, introducing different materials and objects into his canvases, including fabrics, paper and newspapers. Although at first glance it appears entirely abstract, the painting reveals some recognizable elements on closer inspection: a table (with the outline of a leg just to the right of Picasso’s signature), a tablecloth, the strings and neck of a violin, a newspaper and, at the top, a dish of fruit. A place of honor was chosen for the painting: an entire room in which to admire the work, flanked by five other Picasso graphic works owned by the Galleria Nazionale, including Plates I and II of “The Dream and Lie of Franco”.
During the exhibition, the Galleria Nazionale will organize workshops for children (from 5 October to 21 December, every Saturday at 4.30 pm) and guided tours for adults (Half an Hour with Picasso, from 4 October to 20 December). This is an opportunity to learn more about the brilliant Spanish artist and to compare the Cubist painting dated 1914 with the sculptures and engravings in the museum’s collection.
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