Matisse & Picasso

Matisse & Picasso is the first exhibition in Australia to tell the story of the artistic relationship between two of Europe’s greatest twentieth-century artists.

Henri Matisse (1869–1954) and Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) met in 1906 and for more than half a century followed each other’s creative developments and achievements. The sustained rivalry between them was not only key to their individual success, it also changed the course of 20th century Western European art.

This exhibition brings together masterpieces from collections across the world and includes paintings that will be on display in Australia for the first time.

Featuring more than 60 paintings and sculptures drawn from prestigious public and private collections internationally and in Australia, the exhibition also includes examples of the Gallery’s rich holdings of drawings, prints, illustrated books and costumes by Matisse and Picasso. Together, they reveal how and why these two giants of modern art mined each other’s work in order to enhance their own.

We recognise the artist’s extraordinary contribution to modern art and we also understand Picasso is without question a polarising figure. We believe that now, more than ever, it is important to learn from history and see art as a catalyst for reflection, conversation and cultural change around issues of gender and equality in our society.

Archived site

The original website for this exhibition was published in 2019 and has been archived for research purposes.