British apparel designer examines unusual juxtapositions in prolific artist's works for a new exhibition in Pudong.

A new exhibition at the Museum of Art Pudong in Shanghai presents the prolific career of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) through the lens of British fashion designer Paul Smith.

Opening to the public on Dec 22, the exhibition Picasso Through the Eyes of Paul Smith is jointly hosted by the Shanghai museum and the Musee National Picasso-Paris in France. Running until May 3, the exhibition displays 80 original works from the French museum's collection, presenting a half-century overview of Picasso's career.

Spanning oil paintings, charcoal drawings, and other media, it offers one of the most comprehensive and wide-ranging presentations of Picasso's work ever staged in China, according to Li Minkun, chairman of the MAP and deputy general manager of Shanghai Lujiazui Group.

"Last week, we celebrated the opening of the exhibition The Wonder of Patterns: Masterpieces from India, Iran and the Ottoman World from the Musee du Louvre. We are so excited for the collaboration between the Pudong museum and two of the top museums in France, with two exhibitions happening simultaneously, which are different in style but share the same high quality," Li said at the opening ceremony on Dec 18.

Shanghai is the exhibition's only stop on the Chinese mainland, as well as the first stop of its international tour, she said.

The Musee National Picasso-Paris is home to the most extensive public collection of the renowned artist's works, comprising more than 6,000 pieces, which comprehensively covers the entirety of Picasso's professional career and encompasses all the media and materials he used, according to Cecile Debray, president of the museum.

At the time of Picasso's death, a law came into practice in France, stipulating that his heir could settle the inheritance tax by donating his works. The law was proposed based on the circumstances concerning Picasso's heritage, who left behind more than 70,000 items in his studio, Debray says. The majority were transferred to the French national collection shortly after the artist's death on April 8, 1973.

Collaborating with other museums and art institutions is a tradition of the Picasso museum, she says. What makes this exhibition unique is that the artworks were selected by both the museum and internationally renowned fashion designer Paul Smith to reflect Smith's ideas in design and creativity.

In 2019, the French museum invited Smith to serve as its artistic director to offer a new interpretation in commemoration of the 50th anniversary (in 2023) of Picasso's death.

Paul Smith founded his eponymous brand in 1970, beginning with a 9-square-meter shop in his hometown of Nottingham, the United Kingdom. Today, it is a global enterprise with more than 130 stores in 60 countries and regions.

Smith proposes "unusual juxtapositions, and highlights unexpected details", Debray says of the exhibition held at the Musee National Picasso-Paris in 2023. Through the eyes of Smith, "We rediscover a Picasso who was inventive, funny and perpetually experimenting," Debray says.

"Picasso is a genius, and I'm a modest clothes designer," Smith says in Shanghai. "But if there are any similarities (between us), I would say it's curiosity. He was always looking for new ideas, new things," Smith says. It was the same mindset that kept him afloat in the volatile sea of fashion through the decades, he believes.

When the Picasso museum approached him for the project, "It was just a request to see Picasso through different eyes, through eyes that were not trained in the world of art history or the iconography of art," he tells the media.

He adds: "At the beginning, I honestly didn't know how, and didn't know whether I could do it. Then I just came up with what I'm used to doing, which is color and pattern and relationships between things."

The Musee National Picasso-Paris is a traditional French house, while the Pudong museum is a beautiful modern one, Smith said at the opening, explaining the changes he and his colleagues made to bring the exhibition to Shanghai. "The height and size of the rooms, the texture of the floor, and many other things are very different."

While it was quite complicated to recreate the scenography, "The principle is more or less the same," he said.

Some artworks had to be changed because they were unfit for international travel. "We made sure to replace the works with others that are equally valuable and significant," Debray says.

Picasso is a towering figure that reshaped modern art, Li says. Throughout his life, he repeatedly challenged established conventions. Through constant experimentation, he pushed the boundaries of what art could be.

The exhibition provides an excellent opportunity to learn about Picasso and his role in art history, Li says. "Chinese audiences are very familiar with Picasso, but many people find it difficult to understand his later cubism works. Through this exhibition, we present a systematic display of his earliest creations to the latest, to illustrate the evolution of the great master, from grasping the traditional techniques to cultivating a distinctive style and exploring new expressions.

"People will find this exhibition completely different from any other conventional art show," Li says. The design itself is a piece of art, full of color and vivacity, she says. "I think it fits perfectly with our museum."

Both the Picasso and Louvre exhibitions will run through the New Year and Spring Festival. The Pudong museum has detailed plans to accommodate a large number of holiday visitors, with more than 300 new products released at the museum store and a new audio guide of the show recorded by young volunteers ages 6 to 15.

"This is the first time we've tried this, because we hope to see more young visitors," Li says. "We also had special brochures made for young audiences, and hope these exhibitions and our efforts can inspire their imaginations and expand their art comprehension," Li says.