Pablo Picasso, a Spanish painter known as the ‘father of modern painting’ in art history, is being presented in Hong Kong for the first time with a landmark exhibition at M+ in the West Kowloon Cultural District, the city’s premier museum of contemporary visual art culture.
Entitled The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Picasso for Asia—A Conversation, the exhibition opened to the public on 15 March 2025 until 13 July 2025, featuring over sixty artworks of Picasso selected by Musée national Picasso-Paris (MnPP), the french national museum that holds the largest collections of Picasso worldwide. The selected pieces will enagage in conversation with 130 pieces from the M+ collections, created by thirty Asian and Asian-diasporic artists spanning from the early twentieth century to the present.
Co-presented as part of the opening program for the French May Arts Festival 2025, which is an annual arts festival organized by the Association Culturelle France – Hong Kong Limited to promote French art and culture, the exhibition holds great significance for the city by making the first major showcase of Picasso in Hong Kong in more than twelve years. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore an assortment of Picasso’s works representing the various periods of his illustrious career, from the Blue Period to the advent of Cubism. Furthermore, some of his most notable pieces will be on display, including “The Acrobat” (1930), “Portrait of a Man” (1929), “Figures by the Sea” (1931), and the sculpture “Goat Skull, Bottle and Candle” (1951).
“I cannot believe that I can finally see Pablo Picasso’s works here in Hong Kong,” said Ho Ming Cheung, a 23-year-old Art History student from the University of Hong Kong. “Picasso is such a significant figure in modern art—truly influential and inspiring in today’s art industry. Having the opportunity to experience his pieces up close is a once-in-a-lifetime moment.”
Picasso’s Connection with Asian Art
The special exhibition not only aims for portaying legendary art pieces of Picasso, but ultimately showcases an intercultural dialogue between Picasso and Asian artists who have echoed his visual language. By juxtaposing Picasso’s iconic works with 130 pieces from the M+ collections, the exhibition invites visitors to explore the profiund influence Picasso has had on artists across Asia and Asian disapora.
Doreen Chong, the Artistis Director and Chief Curator of M+, emphasized the exhibition’s intent: “This exhibition is a conversation. We really have to find the right balance.” He highlighted that the exhibition imagines Picasso’s legacy in Asian art, showcasing historical and iconographic links while presenting “what is relevant to the contemporary world and young aritsts.”
Francois Dareau, a Research Fellow at Musée national Picasso-Paris, added, “We managed to create an experience for people who are being introduced to Picasso for the first time, providing a deeper understanding of his works, while also bringing a new perspective for those more accustomed to Picasso exhibitions.” He further remarked, “This exhibition is truly a conversation between our two museums,” emphasizing the collaborative effort to bridge cultural and artistic connections.
Visitors will come across intriguing artworks throughout the exhibition that question conventional narratives and invite reflections on the role of art in today’s modern society. The distinctive interaction between Picasso and Asian artists’ serves as an illustration of the interconnectedness of cultural expressions and the continuous development of artistic techniques.
One striking example of this dialogue is Isamu Noguchi’s Strange Bird (1945/1971), exhibited alongside Picasso’s Figures by the Sea (1931). Noguchi’s work employs organic forms and abstract shapes that resonate with Picasso’s exploration of form and space. The exhibition notes highlight how Noguchi’s use of negative space and fluidity in Strange Bird reflects a similar spirit of experimentation found in Picasso’s cubist compositions. This connection illustrates the balance between destruction and creation, echoing the radical artistic inventions of both artists.
The Rise of Hong Kong’s Cultural Landscape
The Hong Kong Government has shown a growing commitment to supporting arts and culture events, aiming to bolster the city’s reputation as a global creative hub. The Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund (Mega ACE), launched in 2023, focuses specifically on seeking to attract and facilitate large-scale international arts and cultural events to be held in Hong Kong.
So far, the Mega ACE Fund has supported 20+ significant arts and cultural events, including the Picasso exhibition, “Cézanne and Renoir Looking at the World — Masterpieces from the Musée de l’Orangerie and the Musée d’Orsay” at Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) and “Botticelli to Van Gogh: Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London,” at Hong Kong Palace Museum. This sustained investment signifies the government’s ongoing interest to opening the door for more international art exhibitions in the future.
As this momentum continues, it is positively expected that Hong Kong’s cultural landscape will be significantly enhanced as it develops into a vibrant hub for artistic expression and cross-cultural interaction.