Coming to Seattle this Fall: Picasso!

The Seattle Art Museum will be the first stop on a US tour of a huge selection of Pablo Picasso's work this October. “Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris” will at the SAM from Oct. 8 to Jan. 9, 2011. It will include 150 original works of art and about 75 paintings and sculptures.

This exhibit will cover every phase of Picasso's career,from his early 20th century forays into painting to work from the 1970s just prior to his death. The exhibit is only possible because the Musee Picasso, which houses much of Picasso's work, has closed for renovations -- otherwise these paintings would be viewable only in Paris.

While the exhibition this fall doesn't include many iconic Picasso pieces (the Stranger's Jen Graves points out that the paintings on tour aren't "ones you can't think about Picasso without"), this is a huge get for Seattle and the SAM. SAM Director Derrick Cartwright calls this a "a once-in-a-lifetime chance" to see Picasso's works.

We can't wait until October!