Two Picasso exhibits head to Charlotte in February

What’s happening: Not only will “Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds” be on view a the Mint Museum Uptown, but so will sister exhibit, “Bearden/Picasso: Rhythms and Reverberations.”

• Both run Feb. 11 through May 21.

Why it matters: The exhibit connects the two artists and explores the impact Cubism, which Pablo Picasso created, had on Romare Bearden’s collage work.

• Plus, Bearden, an artist and author, was a Charlotte native.

By the numbers: The city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County contributed $500,000 ($250,000 each) to bring “Picasso Landscapes: Out of Bounds” and “Bearden/Picasso: Rhythms and Reverberations” to Charlotte.

Details: “Bearden/Picasso: Rhythms and Reverberations” features three loaned Picasso works and 17 Bearden pieces, which are a combination of the Mint’s collection and loans from other museums and private collections.

• Expect to see Bearden’s early paintings from the 1940s, in addition to his collage work.

The exhibit will have four sections exploring the shared interests of Bearden and Picasso:

•  Bulls and bullfighting.
•  Music and rhythm.
• Interior scenes and how they used doorways and windows.
• “Stained glass” aesthetic.

What they’re saying: “On the surface, it might seem odd to organize an exhibition that brings together the work of American artist Romare Bearden and Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, as it might seem the two have little in common, however there has rightly been some notice of the relationship between the two artists’ works,” Jonathan Stuhlman, Mint Museum senior curator of American art and curator of the exhibit, said in statement.

Tickets: $25 for adults; $20 for seniors (age 65 and up); $10 for museum members and college students with ID.

• Children ages 17 and under, as well as art teachers, receive free admission to the exhibits.

What’s next: The museum will host “An Afternoon Salon: Romare Bearden and Modernism” on March 18 from 2-4pm.

• Diedra Harris-Kelley, co-director of the Romare Bearden Foundation, will lead a conversation about Bearden with Richard Powell, PhD, Duke University professor and Romare Bearden Foundation advisor, and Denise Murrell, PhD, curator-at-large at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• Tickets: $10 for the salon and the exhibit; or $5 for the salon and general admission to the museum.