Author: Trusha Naidoo

Date: April 2018

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Picasso once said, “The work that one does is a way of keeping a diary.” 1932 was quite a year for that diary. He had just turned 50 and was constantly being invited to exhibit his work. While that must have been reassuring, many critics debated whether he was an artist whose best years were behind him or still to come? He had come a long way from being a struggling Spanish artist, he was living the life with his wife, the Russian ballerina, Olga Khokhlova who was his muse for much of his earlier work.

 

Despite his obvious success he was unsettled and felt ignored by the critics. He got into sculpting at a mansion he bought in Normandy and created a studio in a Parisian apartment identical to the one he lived and worked in. Unsurprisingly, he was having an affair with Marie-Therese Walter at the time. He dabbled in surrealism and took on Henri Matisse and his vibrant world of colour.

 

His first retrospective in June of 1932 showed the conflicting ideas coming through in his work. It spurred him on to create daring paintings to surprise his critics. Over this intensely productive year, his work went from sensual and energetic to dark and anxious. His couldn’t help but show how times had changed – the depression deepened, unemployment was widespread, populist nationalism and totalitarianism were gaining ground.

Love. Fame. Tragedy. These three words summed up his year and his works. The strength and breadth of his creations are astounding. The fact that he was able to think up this much work in one year makes you feel as if you are living in slow motion. Go and see it for yourself, Picasso 1932 at the Tate, is on until September 2018.

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Did you know…

 

Picasso completed “Woman with Dagger” in just a week.

 

In 1932 Picasso’s “Le Coiffure” sold for 56 000 Francs.

 

“Girl before a Mirror” is reminiscent of a painting by Edouard Manet who also exhibited in Paris in 1932.

 

Even Paul Rosenburg, Picasso’s dealer from 1918 refused to show some of his more explicit explorations of the female form, declaring, “No, I refuse to have any arse-holes in my gallery”.

 

As Paris gathered for the opening of his retrospective in 1932, Picasso headed off to the cinema choosing not to attend.

 

1932 is often called Picasso’s ‘year of wonders’ - it’s easy to see why.

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