Paul Smith rethinks the Picasso Museum in Paris
To mark the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death, British fashion designer Paul Smith is redesigning the artist’s Parisian museum in the Marais. Three levels, colors and tons of paintings and inspiration.
When fashion and art meet. These two worlds have the habit of crossing each other, of coming together, of discovering or rediscovering each other. And once again, art and fashion are one. On the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso, precursor of Cubism and the artist of his century, Paul Smith is the guest of honor at the Paris museum dedicated to him. Between homage, reinterpretation and stripes, the latter gets a makeover.
A collection that “takes colors”
Fifty years ago, Pablo Picasso passed away, leaving behind a great legacy, an artistic movement and hundreds of works. The Parisian museum dedicated to him is celebrating this death by offering, since March 7 and until the end of August, an exclusive exhibition called Celebration Picasso – the collection takes colors, in partnership with Paul Smith. If Picasso is known for his cubic shapes, the British designer is just as well known for his clothing collections, his pronounced taste for colors and stripes. With him and thanks to him, you will see Picasso in a new light.
The division of labor is rather fair and complete: Paul Smith is in charge of the scenography, the museum curators of the selection of works.
“By calling on Paul Smith, we were able to show the masterpieces of the collection again with a slightly different perspective,” explains Cécile Debray, the president of the Picasso Museum. “His contribution here was to make Picasso’s work accessible to everyone, by making a kind of aesthetic wonder; a kind of discovery in wonder, almost childlike, of what Picasso’s painting is. I think his humor, that English humor, will appeal to a young audience.”
The museum has three floors and a dozen rooms, all redesigned by the creator.
Each one tells a piece of Picasso’s story, with references and tributes. The Spanish artist had many periods, which oscillate according to his moods. For the blue period, Paul Smith painted the walls a dark blue, a color that brings out the tones of the different paintings in the space and at the same time reminds us of his spring-summer 2004 men’s collection.
The ceramics room highlights twelve plates created by Picasso placed in the center of a white wall itself adorned with white plates.
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Because too much is not enough… The room dedicated to the series of Vogue Paris covers designed by Picasso is itself covered with original covers, transformed into wallpaper.
For the 50’s period of the painter, Paul Smith simply painted the white walls with the same number.
The stripes room expresses this very close common taste between the two artists. While preparing the exhibition’s scenography, Paul Smith did a lot of research on Picasso, before realizing that he used his favorite motif a lot: stripes. Vertical, horizontal, large, small, all these stripes would almost make you dizzy!
This new and daring interpretation of Picasso’s works, seen through Paul Smith’s pop and colorful eyes (and glasses), should conquer young and old alike!
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