April 8, 2023 will be the fiftieth anniversary of the death of the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. The French and Spanish authorities have wanted a major transnational event to be organized during 2023 to commemorate his work and his artistic legacy in France, in Spain and internationally. In this regard, and in order to coordinate the celebration of Picasso 1973-2023 and in response to the commitment agreed at the XXVI Franco-Spanish Summit in Montauban (March 15, 2021), a specific bilateral Commission has been created, made up of representatives of the Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs of both countries and by qualified personalities: Cécile Debray, the President of the National Picasso Museum in Paris, Bernard Ruiz-Picaso, the President of the Almine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Foundation for Art, Coordinator of the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023 for France.
The ambitious commemorative program has an important international dimension, with exhibitions in numerous museums throughout Spain, including the Prado, Reina Sofía, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Picasso in Malaga, Guggenheim in Bilbao, and Picasso in Barcelona, and audiovisual productions that bring his work closer to the current audiences. It will also be an opportunity to develop a historiographical study of the approaches to Picasso's work.
This binational commission will vindicate the figure of Picasso as a universal and pro-European artist, who embodies the founding principles of Europe, made up of democratic states, defenders of human rights and freedom of expression. His work, Guernica, has become the greatest anti-war symbol in our modern history at an international level. Today, Picasso's legacy and his commitment to the pacifist cause are a great reference for European citizens.
