Patti Smith Meets Picasso
“[When I was about twelve], my father took us on a rare excursion to the Museum of Art in Philadelphia. My parents worked very hard, and taking four children on a bus to Philadelphia was exhausting and expensive. It was the only such outing we made as a family, marking the first time I came face-to-face with art. I felt a sense of physical identification with the long, languorous Modigliani, was moved by the elegantly still subjects of Sargent and Thomas Eakins; dazzled by the light that emanated from the Impressionists. But it was the work in a hall devoted to Picasso, from his harlequins to Cubism, that pierced me the most. His brutal confidence took my breath away.
Pablo Picasso, Glass of Absinthe (2014), mixed media. From “Picasso Sculpture” at the Museum of Modern Art, through February 7, 2016.
“My father admired the draftsmanship and symbolism in the work of Salvador Dalí, yet he found no merit in Picasso, which led to our first serious disagreement. My mother busied herself rounding up my siblings, who were sliding the slick surfaces of the marble floors. I’m certain, as we filed down the great staircase, that I appeared the same as ever, a moping twelve-year-old, all arms and legs. But secretly I knew I had been transformed, moved by the revelation that human beings create art, that to be an artist was to see what others could not.”
(From Patti Smith’s Just Kids, Ecco, 2010)
Photo credit: Patti Smith performing at Cornell University, 1978.
how great to run into Patti Smith here….
Art and art making is such a vast field — to move among modalities (the written word, music, drawing, sculpture, printing, performance, etc) is such a rich and enriching practice – so many wonderful musicians and performance artists – Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno also come quickly to mind – move between the modalities. maybe there’s an article here, Ann.
I am surprised and delighted to see Patti Smith here, she is a hero of mine and I had the same reaction to Picasso, I was in my twenties, first trip to New York, I broke into tears and sobbed as I looked at “Woman with Fan” which was in an exhibit at the Modern. Thank you for this, I am loving your site and will join when I get some funds to do so.
Now I’m wishing I had bought all my supporters Patti Smith’s memoir, “Just Kids” instead of hoary old Vasari. But I came to it too late. You can get it used on Amazon.com for about five bucks. You will be enthralled.
Just Kids is a great read, and true to New York at that time when I was a teenager and Patti was in the clubs. M Train her most recent ‘memoir’ is also wonderful – poetic, poignant, beautiful. And then I was so appreciative of Annie Leibowitz’ photos of women for the 2016 Pirelli calendar which included Patti.
Love this excerpt from “Just Kids”. Happy to hear that M Train is beautiful and poetic as well. I’m looking forward to reading it.
Picasso’s Glass of Absinthe (1914) here is the best photo I’ve seen of it. Super!