This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso. To mark the occasion, an international event called Picasso Celebration was organised, with 50 museums around the world putting on 50 different exhibitions on the legacy of Picasso, among the best-known artists of the 20th century.
The most unusual and most talked about is certainly not a “celebration” of Picasso. The Brooklyn Museum hosts “It’s Pablo-matic: Picasso according to Hannah Gadsby”. Brooklyn Museum curators Catherine Morris and Lisa Small worked with acclaimed Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby to create an art exhibit inspired by Gadsby’s 2018 Netflix comedy special, Nanette.
This exhibition was, among other things, a searing discussion of the sexism of art history, the art industry and, in particular, Picasso. “It’s Pablo-matic” has itself been at the center of a wave of criticism in recent weeks. Rachel Corbett, Artnet’s Deputy Editor, speaks with Ben Davis, Artnet’s National Art Critic, who wrote a long essay on the show, reaction to the show, and what the two mean for the site.
