On 25 October 1881 Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born in Málaga (more precisely Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso, so it’s a good thing there were still several decades to go before the Spanish ID was born, but that’s another story), a universal artist whose death will be 50 years ago this year, 2023.
Picasso is one of the most important and world-renowned artists of the 20th century, among many other things for inventing Cubism, one of the first avant-garde movements, together with George Braque. In addition to his work as a painter, Pablo Picasso was also an important sculptor, ceramist and engraver.
This universal artist can be considered one of the most famous Spaniards in history and although it is true that he lived in several cities in our country (in addition to his native Málaga, he also lived in La Coruña, Madrid and Barcelona), Picasso spent a large part of his life in France (in Paris and on the Côte d’Azur) and, in fact, since 1934 he has never set foot on Spanish soil again.
Picasso Celebration: 1973-2023
April 8, 2023 marked half a century since the death of the artist from Málaga, an event in which Telefónica has participated as the only company in Spain to collaborate in the commemoration by supporting all the events and exhibitions taking place in our country within the framework of the international programme of the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023, an opportunity to raise awareness of his career.
The Picasso Celebration 1973-2023 stems from an agreement with Acción Cultural Española, under the Spanish National Commission, and revolves around fifty exhibitions and events that are being held throughout this year in renowned cultural institutions in Europe and North America and that deal with a historiographical analysis of Picasso’s work as a whole.
With this initiative, Telefónica has joined in the dissemination of the work of the author, recognised as one of the most prolific painters of all time, making his art more accessible to all audiences.
Telefónica and Picasso: Guernica, Art Collection
But Telefónica’s commitment to culture in general and to Picasso’s painting in particular is not new and can also be seen on the Rethinking Guernica website, a project that arose from the aim of studying the mural with different approaches, methodologies and tools and which is essential for getting to know and enjoy all the details of Guernica.
This iconic work is an anti-war plea painted in 1937, against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War and inspired by the horror of the bombing of the Biscayan city that gives it its name, and served as a symbol for other artist-activists who, with different approaches, practices and militancy, embodied protests and pleas that aspired to transform the system and its institutions through art. The work was acquired by the Republican government in 1937, but when the Second World War broke out, Picasso decided to keep the painting at the MoMA in New York, where it remained until 1981, when, following the restoration of democracy in Spain, it was transferred to Madrid.
As a curiosity, not many people know that the Fundación Telefónica has an art collection in which, among works by other artists such as Juan Gris, Eduardo Chillida and Antoni Tàpies, there are also paintings by Picasso.
