Pablo Picasso first arrived in Paris from Barcelona in autumn 1900, during the final weeks of the Universal Exhibition that included his work in the Spanish pavilion. The ville lumière, or “city of lights,” captivated, and ultimately transformed, the nineteen-year-old Spaniard. Picasso absorbed everything the city had to offer over his initial two-month stay and during his return the following May through the end of 1901. He patronized not only the art galleries, but also the bohemian cafés, raucous nightclubs, and sensational dancehalls that embodied the hilltop neighborhood of Montmartre. These sites of social gathering and the various types of people who frequented them quickly became a primary source of inspiration.

Coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of Picasso’s death, the exhibition Young Picasso in Paris will explore the artist’s production during his introduction to the French capital and highlight a defining work, Le Moulin de la Galette (ca. November 1900), which is currently the subject of an extensive conservation analysis and treatment project. The famous dance hall—formerly a mill engaged in the production of a brown bread, or galette—had also been depicted by such avant-gardists as Ramon Casas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Vincent van Gogh. In his version, Picasso rendered a vibrant and expressionistic frieze of diverse patrons comingling under the dance hall’s electric lights. Among other notable features, Picasso’s depiction represents the gender fluidity present in fin-de-siècle Paris, and also foreshadows the social disenfranchisement of the working classes that he brought into sharper focus with his subsequent Blue Period (1901–04).

Additionally, the exhibition includes a small group of paintings and drawings that show Picasso’s exercises in character study and demonstrate the evolution of the artist’s practice during this formative period of his life. All told, his time in Paris left a strong impression; Picasso would settle there in 1904.

Young Picasso in Paris is organized by Megan Fontanella, Curator, Modern Art and Provenance. Julie Barten, Senior Painting Conservator and Associate Director of Conservation Affairs, is leading the conservation research and treatment of Picasso’s Le Moulin de la Galette.

This exhibition is part of The Picasso Celebration 1973–2023 program, organized with the support of the Musée national Picasso, Paris.

Exhibition Date: May 12 - August 6, 2023

Location: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

1071 5th Avenue At 89th Street

New York, NY 10128

Museum Hours: 

Sunday–Friday 11 am–6 pm

Saturday 11 am–8 pm

Members-only hours select Mondays, 6–8 pm

Museum admission includes access to all exhibitions.

Adults: $25

Students and Seniors 65+ (with ID): $18

Visitors with disabilities: $18

Members: Free

Children under 12: Free

Pay-What-You-Wish Admission

Saturdays 6–8 pm

Reserve Tickets 

Click here for more information