Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is delighted to present an extraordinary international exhibition pairing the work of Pablo Picasso with the bold creative vision of internationally celebrated designer Sir Paul Smith.

Picasso: Designed by Paul Smith comprises over 80 paintings, sculptures, ceramics, prints and drawings from the collection of the Musée national Picasso-Paris. The exhibition traces pivotal moments across Picasso’s career, such as the Blue and Rose Periods and the style that he put on the art map, cubism.

Smith is one of Britain’s foremost fashion designers, renowned for his creative spirit and eclectic aesthetic. Since opening his first shop in Nottingham in 1970, he has grown his namesake brand into a global business, with clothing and accessories sold in more than 70 countries.

For Picasso: Designed by Paul Smith, he brings his creative eye to the exhibition’s design. Across 15 sections, Smith responds to Picasso’s imagery, styles, materials, and the context of the time, experimenting with lighting, wall and floor treatments and his signature ‘stripe’. Drawing on their shared interest in objects and dress and a mutual sense of fun, Smith creates a spectacular and highly inventive setting for Picasso’s works.

The designer’s immersive staging also amplifies perspectives on other aspects of Picasso’s life and work. These include his changing sense of self over nine decades, and his relationships to mythology, bullfighting, high fashion, ceramics and past masters, such as Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Édouard Manet and Vincent van Gogh.

Smith says: “It has been one of the greatest honours of my career to serve as the Artistic Director of Picasso: Designed by Paul Smith exhibition and I am thrilled for its next stop at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. My approach is not academic, instead, I am looking to take visitors on a visual journey that encourages them to see Picasso’s masterpieces in a new light, in hopes to engage with younger audiences and audiences that are not very knowledgeable about the work of this great master.”

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited Director of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki Dr Zara Stanhope says: “It has been more than 30 years since a major solo exhibition of Picasso’s work has been seen in Aotearoa New Zealand, making this a unique opportunity to have a focused experience of the breadth and depth of his creative practice in person. Sir Paul Smith’s imaginative exhibition design invites visitors to re-discover an artist whose impact continues to bring alive how we understand aspects of the 20th-century.”

President of Musée national Picasso-Paris Cécile Debray says: “This unprecedented collaboration with British designer Paul Smith further shapes the dynamic image of the Picasso Museum, which is committed to presenting its collections in a broad and contemporary way. I hope that this retrospective of Picasso’s work will resonate with communities in New Zealand. I am delighted by this fruitful and friendly partnership between our two museums. And I hope the exhibition is a great success.”

The exhibition is organised by Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in collaboration with the Musée national Picasso-Paris.