Bernard Ruiz Picasso discusses how his grandfather Pablo Picasso broke boundaries and is still open to reinterpretation in the 21st century. Saimi Sattar listens in
Even before Bernard Ruiz Picasso was born, his last name determined much of how his life would shape up. The son of Paul Picasso, the eldest son of the artist Pablo and his wife Olga was in India for a mere 48 hours where he decided to engage with the art loving public on Picasso: Modern artist’s legacy in the 21st century.
But he could not resist sharing some memories from his childhood. “I recall going to a gallery where he was displaying ceramics. I was holding his hand and he gave me a small coin for no reason. He told me to go to the candy store and said that children prefer candy rather than a visit to an art exhibition,” he said. DAG has kickstarted the celebrations to enrich the dialogue around art in India.
Bernard, who with his mother Christine Ruiz-Picasso, co-founded the Museo Picasso Malaga, a centre for Picasso studies which ensures that the works of Picasso are conserved, studied and exhibited, also remembers “His kindness, his Spanish accent while speaking French. I had the good fortune of spending time with him as my parents took me to his house.”
But what made the artist and the discussion come alive was a set of videos that were played during the event. Picasso painting a vase which took the form of a woman’s body on glass and waved back at the audience. And it seemed that he had transcended the distance of space and time to actually engage with the people present.
But there were other recollections as well, which were second-hand. “I remember my mother telling me that he could not go to Spain because the Franco regime did not allow him to visit his birth country. So, he would hear people speaking in Spanish and he would run to talk to them. He would also get really emotional when he was close to the Spanish border and would almost cry because he wasn’t able to go there,” says Bernard.
Picasso passed away in 1973 and the legacy was followed by Bernard’s father within two years. “I had to learn what art was and what Picasso’s legacy meant in the context of art history. That’s how I decided to dedicate my life to exploring Picasso’s creations,” he says. In 2017, he co-curated an exhibition on his grandmother which was called Olga Picasso and was exhibited at Musée National Picasso,Paris. His grandmother was a Russian ballet dancer who met the artist in 1917 in Rome in the spring season, while the artist was the director of sets and costumes of the ballet Parade at the invitation of Jean Cocteau. The couple married in 1918 and Bernard’s father was born in 1921. Bernard explains that the exhibition was possible because of the extensive archives of Olga and Pablo during their time together between 1917 and 1973. And these were one of the most important years of the artist’s life. “He evolved as a foremost artist of his time but we need to also put it in the historical context of the first World War, the Russian Revolution and the fall of the Russian Empire. Since Olga was experiencing a lot of drama with her family in Russia and the consequences of Russian revolution, the exhibition documented it as well,” says Bernard.
Through Picasso’s heritage, Bernard was able to perceive many cultural activities. Gradually his knowledge and interest in art increased drastically. “Picasso is an example of what human beings can achieve in their lives. His significant impact in the art world reached the international audience,” says Bernard and quotes the example of a retrospective held in 2002 at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Delhi.
When one talks of Picasso, one cannot forget his deep political commitment and belief in peace which defines him. “From the very beginning there was this deep sense of political injustice and social inqualities across the world. He was always against war of all kinds filled with barbarian acts.” Interestingly, he became a communist after second World War and it is important to note that despite the dove and the olive branch being a symbol of the Christian religion, the communist party accepted it.
And this engagement started from a very young age. He often signed petitions against war. Guernica which is often regarded as his most spiritual work, uses a palette of grey, black and white. It is one of the most moving and powerful anti-war paintings in history. The large mural shows the suffering of people wrenched by violence and chaos. Prominent in the composition are a gored horse, a bull and flames. The painting was created in response to the bombing of Guernica, a village in northern Spain by Nazi Germany and Italian warplanes. Upon completion, Guernica was exhibited at the Spanish display at the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (Paris International Exposition) in the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris and then at other venues around the world.
Interestingly, the Guernica has made an appearence on the wall of a public toilet in Pitampura where it is clearly named and attributed to the artist.
And this display can be seen in the context of the fact that the last 40 years have been very significant to cultural evolution where a free creation maintaining a relationship and dialogue with the public which Picasso considered important has been established.
Another attempt to make art more accessible was the establishment of Museo Picasso Malaga on October 27, 2003 by Bernard and his mother. The museum has an educational centre for children and Bernard finds it interesting when young children come to the museum to make art, create ceramics and so on. The museum spread over 8,300 metres also has a sub soil with Venetian walls, a city of archaelogy with an Arabic vestige.
The museum which has a collection of Picasso’s drawings, paintings and sculptures saw 6,10,000 visitors last year and is the10th most visted museum in Spain.
But central to any art work are the issues of copyright. “The artists rights were mostly to create protection. Democracy nowadays provides education, many things. In 80s people were more aggressive with stealing Picasso’s identity. We called other artists and we were able to fight back. If you are fighting against a Chinese guy who will reproduce Picasso, it takes time to get a judgement in your favour” he says. So Bernard tied up with car major Citroen for better protection as it gives him better support and defence.
Moreover Bernard feels that, “In the 20th and 21st century the younger generation have a different relation to art and it is for them to decide and find their way. In college and univerity they can develop their own mode of researching Picasso which can be explored in different domains.”