Upcoming Exhibition Will Explore a Year in the Artistic Life of Pablo Picasso

The year 1932 was a big one for Pablo Picasso. It was the year he produced some of his best paintings, and became known as a major force on the international art scene. It was the year he curated and staged his first retrospective. It was also a period during which the middle-aged artist's work may have reflected his passion for his young lover, Marie-Thérèse Walter. These life events—and more—will be retraced in an upcoming exhibition, "Picasso 1932," held at the Tate Modern in London and the Musée National-Picasso in Paris.

"Picasso 1932" is a collaborative exhibition, staged by the aforementioned museums. Featuring more than 100 paintings, sculptures, and drawings, it takes art lovers on a month-by-month tour through the year referred to by many as the artist’s “year of wonders.” As for the Tate, this is their first-ever solo exhibition of Picasso’s work. On the museum's website, they refer to it as “one of the most significant shows the gallery has ever staged.”

According to The Guardian, major works on display in "Picasso 1932" include Le Rêve (The Dream)—a portrait of Marie-Thérèse that has never been exhibited in the UK—and Jeune Fille Devant un Miroir (Girl Before a Mirror), which is part of the MoMA’s collection. Others run the gamut, and include sensual female sculptures, surrealist works featuring the crucifix, and realist portraits of Picasso’s first wife, Olga Khokhlova, and his son Paulo. That said, 1932 wasn’t a perfect year for Picasso: Another of his sons, Walter, became ill from swimming in the river Marne, and the exhibition shows rescue-themed scenes inspired from the incident.

"Picasso 1932" will premiere at the Musée National-Picasso in October 2017, and remain in Paris until February 2018. The exhibit will move to the Tate the following month, and run until September 2018. Tickets for the Tate's show are already available for pre-order online.