UKIYO-E, or “pictures of the floating world”, is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters. Park West Gallery Japanese Woodcut Collection >>
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BARCELONA, SPAIN /AFP/ — The Japanese prints that inspired some of the erotic works of Pablo Picasso are the subject of a new exhibition at Barcelona's Picasso Museum. Secret Images aims to show the influence of the 19 erotic prints on the works of the Spanish artist. The prints, from the 17th to the 19th century and which were part of Picasso's private collection, are on show alongside the 27 engravings and drawings of Picasso that they inspired. Picasso, who lived from 1881 to 1973, developed an interest in Japanese art through the works of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Edgar Degas and Vincent Van Gogh, all of whom were fascinated by eastern art.
Among the erotic Japanese prints is a work by Hokusai Katsushika, which depicts a woman and an octopus, a version of which was done by Picasso in 1903. He was most influenced by the detailed work of Japanese artists depicting genital organs during sex. The exhibition also includes books, catalogues and albums that illustrate the Japanese influence on Barcelona in the 19th century and on Picasso.
Given the fragility of the works on display, the exhibition cannot be transported to any other site, the organisers said.
Secret Images is now on view through February 14, 2010.
For more information, please visit http://www.museupicasso.bcn.cat/
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