This May to August, remain cultured thanks to the National Gallery Singapore, as the museum will be showcasing the legendary art pieces of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse through an exhibition that delves into the exploration of space, movement, form and colour.
Named Matisse & Picasso: Friends, Rivals; the first major presentation of these two talents in Southeast Asia will comprise paintings, sculptures, prints, illustrations and even ballet costumes, on loan from both public and private international collections. It also seeks to examine and explore the relationship between the two artists.
Pablo Picasso Reading La Lecture 1932 Oil on canvas Musee Picasso Paris © Succession Picasso Copyright Agency 2020
And this is just one of the many art shows the museum has got lined-up for 2020. Following the three-month bigwig exhibition, the National Gallery will also put on Ever Present: The Art of Australia’s First Peoples, that surveys the works of Australian indigenous artists from the late 1800s till today. And expect to celebrate Singapore’s very own modern artist Georgette Chen in her exhibition At Home in the World, that traces her art training and life experiences globally, as well as the impact it had on her artistic practices. There’ll even be the fourth in a series of exhibitions at the Wu Guanzhong Gallery in late 2020 to 2021, as Learning from the Master sheds a new light on Wu Guanzhong’s artistic career, through rare archival materials and more.
But until then, look forward to checking out returning exhibition Pago Pago in the coming month, which offers the creations of Malaysian modernist painter and poet Latiff Mohidin. The artworks in this series traces the formative period in Mohidin’s practice; the phrase “Pago Pago” was coined by the artist himself to evoke a sense of consciousness that emerged during his travels, which is to emphasize a way of working and thinking that challenges the dominance of Western modernism.
Clearly offering coveted artworks for locals to appreciate and understand, mark your calendars to visit the National Gallery to check out these prized pieces, as this might be one of the few chances you’ll ever get to see them in person, let alone in Singapore.
Matisse & Picasso: Friends, Rivals will be held from May 15-Aug 16 at the National Gallery Singapore. More information to be released here.
