In the Name of the Father

Among so many other things, Pablo Picasso is a kind of father figure for artists who have come after him. He opened creative doors, discovered new aesthetic and thematic paths; he returned to the classics and brought back mythological beings and ancestral rituals while shining among the avant-garde. After all, Picasso, the most prolific and multifaceted artists of the 20th century, has been consecrated as a common place or starting point for several generations. As with all fathers, he can be venerated, emulated, honoured, criticised and, according to Freud, condemned or even killed.

In 2014 the Picasso Museum hosted the exhibition 'Post Picasso: Contemporary Reactions', which explored how the painter was a source of inspiration for others. 'In the Name of the Father' once again revisits the Picasso legacy via the work of a dozen artists who confront, look into or question their inheritance, through different practices and languages.

The exhibition is staged in such a way that forces visitors to travel through different spaces in the museum. From the Picasso brand, where Elo Vega and Rogelio López Cuenca stand out, to the painting by Miquel Barceló for the poster of the last bullfight held at Barcelona's Monumental bullring, as well as 'Guernica. Ccommunist Picasso', by Daniel G. Andújar, in which the FBI reports from when the artist joined the Communist Party are on display. Among the rooms of the collection, highlights include the video of the performance 'Compases, silences and freedom' that flamenco singer Enrique Morente's family did in front of Picasso's 'Las Meninas'. They dance and make comments about the three great artists: 'With Velázquez's hands, with Picasso's eyes, with Morente's voice...". It's quite the grand tribute.