Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Here's An Early Look At MoMA's New Picasso Sculpture Exhibition
By
Scott Heins
Published Sep 9, 2015
Modified Sep 9, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Scott Heins
View all 28
By
Scott Heins
Published Sep 9, 2015
Modified Sep 9, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The first major, retrospective-style exhibition of its kind in nearly 50 years, MoMA's upcoming Picasso sculpture exhibit is a must-see for fans of the iconic artist. Spread out across the museum's 4th floor, over 120 pieces (50 of which were loaned from Paris's Musée Picasso) offer a glimpse of the famous artist's work.
The sculptures span most of Picasso's active artistic life, from 1902-1964, during which time he worked with materials like sheet metal, bronze, wood, terracotta, and plaster. They're vividly textured and disparate in shape; gaseous bulbs spout from half-human faces in some pieces, while others are made up of nothing but harsh, angular iron wires. There are paint smears and messy welding lines. Light on color, the works offer little beauty but are fascinating in their contortions of the human form. Many of Picasso's painting practices made it into his sculpting; at the exhibit you'll find warped noses and plenty of strange cubist guitars.
Violin (Scott Heins/Gothamist
While he was classically trained in painting, sculpture was an extra-curricular for Picasso; the medium was one he would pick up for intense periods and then set aside for years at a stretch, only to return to it with new ideas and fresh materials once again. Each room at the MoMA exhibit houses a specific moment in Picasso's artistic life. The show greets you with simple bronze faces, then turns cubist and keeps changing, again and again. Works from his World War II years center around death and skulls; in his later pieces childhood toys are used to construct whole bodies and faces.
MoMA has been careful not to get in the way of Picasso's greatness; the exhibition's fixtures are plain, with podiums strewn about each gallery. The only exception is a low box of gravel that houses The Bathers sculptures— Picasso's only multi-figured sculpture assemblage, this piece contains six tall wooden figures, each in a gnarled state of construction. MoMA's curatorial staff has stressed that sculpture's quickness was liberating for Picasso, who had to spend hours preparing canvases before he could even begin to paint.
The Bathers (Scott Heins/Gothamist)
Sculpture, on the other hand, offered more instant gratification, and in The Bathers a sense of rapt, sweaty creation is absolutely vivid. These six figures, sourced from lumbar yard scraps, look unfinished but not incomplete. Some even appear as busted easels with frames knocked sideway. The obvious climax of the entire MoMA show, The Bathers makes it obvious what kind of escape Picasso found in sculpture—a freedom of immediate action.
Strange, creative, and at times a bit unsettling, Picasso's works are pure expressions of himself, and the exhibit offers us a chance to get to know him a little better in three-dimensional space.
The exhibit opens September 14th (Preview September 10-13 for MoMA Members) // Museum of Modern Art, 11 W 53rd Street, Manhattan // Admission $14-25
Tagged
moma
picasso
sculpture
original
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
In 1972, legendary documentarian William Greaves filmed a party he threw for Harlem Renaissance luminaries. With help from his family, "Once Upon a Time in Harlem" brings that decades-old footage to theaters.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 21, 2026
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.
Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.
By
Sonia Rao
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
By
Sonia Rao
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .