The mirror and the mask. Portraiture in Picasso's century

Edited by Paloma Alarcó

ISBN: 978-84-96233-42-3

Year: 2007

Pages: 344

Illustrations: 285

Binding: paperback with flaps

Size: 24 x 28 cm

Published by: Madrid, Thyssen-Borniemisza Museum, Caja Madrid Foundation, Kimbell Art Museum and El Viso Editions

The avant-garde movements of the 20th century seemed to question artistic genres, but portraiture, an ancient and prominent genre, survived thanks to photography, which restored the link between art and reality at a time of dissociation between image and reality. Although photography focused on the surface, as Kafka noted, it was contemporary art that explored the "hidden life" behind images, seeking identity beyond physical resemblance. Portraiture, taking advantage of new expressive means, remained relevant throughout modernity. The exhibition "The Mirror and the Mask: Portraiture in the Age of Picasso," held in 2007, presented more than 160 works by key artists such as Picasso, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Matisse, and Warhol, among others. The exhibition catalog, produced by the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Kimbell Art Museum, offers essays that explore the evolution and transformation of portraiture in the 20th century.