In 1932, at the age of 52, Pablo Picasso had his first museum exhibition. It was at the Kunsthaus in Zurich, and it contained 460 pieces of art – mostly paintings and drawings.
It is, perhaps, telling of Picasso’s character that he was his own curator for this seminal show. Even during his own lifetime, he was filled with enormous self-confidence and made great efforts to promote his extraordinary talents.
He was almost the polar opposite of Alberto Giacometti, a serious, shy Swiss artist 20 years his junior, who spent most of his days working in a tiny Paris studio with a very limited social life. Yet Giacometti greatly admired Picasso – it’s documented in his notebooks that he visited this exhibition in Zurich several times, made sketches and tried to reproduce Picasso’s paintings.
By this time, the pair had already struck up an unlikely friendship. Giacometti wrote in his diary about regular visits to Picasso’s studio and welcoming the older artist to his. He also recorded conversations the pair had during lunches or dinners in the cafes around Montparnasse, the district at the heart of intellectual and artistic life in Paris in the 1930s.
This information only recently came to light when two French institutions joined forces for a two-year research project. The Fondation Giacometti and Musée National Picasso cross-referenced their archives and conducted interviews with living relatives, including Françoise Gilot, Picasso’s partner during this period.
Once the depth of the relationship became clear, Catherine Grenier, the director of the Fondation Giacometti, along with two associate curators, Serena Bucalo-Mussely and Virginie Perdrisot, put together an exhibition of 120 pieces by the two artists to illustrate the impact that their friendship had on their careers, as well as their obvious differences.
Picasso-Giacometti ran from October to February at the Musée National Picasso in Paris, then travelled to Qatar, where it's currently at the Fire Station Artist in Residence Centre in Doha, after opening last month. It's the first time many of these works have been shown in the Middle East.
This exhibition is also is the first time these two artists have been compared in a scholarly fashion, which is important, not least because Picasso was a notoriously difficult character. His friendship with Giacometti seems to reveal a lot of respect for the younger’s talents.
“Picasso was not always very friendly with other artists,” explains Christian Alandete, head of exhibitions and editions at the Fondation Giacometti. “He was very self-confident and knew that he was an excellent painter. He would not entertain other artists whom he didn’t consider to be on the same level. From our research, we can assume that Giacometti was the only artist that Picasso saw as an equal and that is why they became good friends.”
Grenier, the exhibition’s principle curator, elaborates: “Although there was a 20-year age difference, they found themselves as equal artists following similar experiences that led to very different responses, but always with a strong visual impact. Furthermore, they sometimes created a dialogue with their own artworks by working on the same motifs.”
This is made clear at several points throughout the exhibition, where specific works are used to show their shared influences and techniques.
Early sculptures by both artists are modelled on the art of Auguste Rodin, but as their careers progressed, Picasso’s influence on Giacometti can be seen, particularly in a sculpture of his sister Ottilia that he made in 1925. In it, he abandoned the classical technique and instead adopted the stylised lines and multifaceted cubist planes used by Picasso in the 1906 and 1909 portrait sculptures of his companion Fernande Olivier.
Picasso’s paintings from the neo-cubist period of the late 1920s were characterised by a shift to the flat plane, which Giacometti applied to sculpture.
The exhibition displays a 1927 painting of Picasso's called Figure next to a 1928 sculpture by Giacometti called Woman (Flat III), an abstract and almost two-dimensional figurative head.
In the 1930s, both artists followed the movement of the Surrealists, with Giacometti briefly joining the group. During this time, both artists created dreamlike images and distorted figures clearly seen in Picasso's painting Woman Throwing a Stone, where the lines and forms are echoed in Giacometti's sculpture Disagreeable Object. Both were completed in 1931.
Although they had wildly different personal lives, Picasso and Giacometti both created many portraits of the women they loved. While Picasso had many wives and mistresses, who usually became his muses, Giacometti was a one-woman man. The exhibition compares an image of Dora Maar, Picasso’s principal model from 1935 to 1943, with a sculpture (pictured on the cover) of Annette Arm, whom Giacometti married in 1949.
After the Second World War, both artists shifted towards representation of everyday life and reality, including human figures, landscapes and animals.
Giacometti's famous 1951 bronze sculpture The Dog is actually the slender silhouette of the Afghan hound that belonged to Picasso, and in the exhibition, it's directly compared to Picasso's 1950 sculpture The Goat, also made from bronze.
However, during this year, the friendship came to an abrupt halt. Picasso opposed Giacometti’s entry into Louise Leiris’s gallery in Paris, a leading gallery in the city, and the two men fell out based on this disloyalty. Giacometti was also increasingly disapproving of Picasso’s unabashed star status, and the tension between them escalated to breaking point.
It didn’t affect their careers. Giacometti signed up to the Maeght Gallery in Paris, and they held a solo exhibition for him that same year.
The exhibition contains paintings, sculptures, sketches, photographs and interviews with the artists that highlight the timeline of their friendship and place their art in dialogue with each other. In doing so, it opens a window into an entire period of history that is rarely exhibited in this part of the world.
To aid understanding and appreciation of Middle East audiences, the curators worked with Qatar Museums on an educational programme, including lectures, guidebooks and discussion panels. Importantly, they also worked with local teachers to educate them not only on Picasso and Giacometti’s art, but also on the modern period in Europe.
“We were aware this exhibition might be the first encounter with western Europe modernity for most of the local audience, and we decided, with Qatar Museums, to build an intensive educational programme prior to the opening,” Grenier says.
This introduction to the history of art was attended by more than 200 people and was extended to the opening days with an extra session inside the exhibition.
“Our main goal over the past few years has been to bring Giacometti’s works to countries he had never been exhibited before,” Grenier concludes. “We were very interested to come to Doha, particularly to this location in a building that has been recently renovated, and that we helped to adjust to international museum standards. It’s always a pleasure to see an audience react to his works.”
Picasso-Giacometti runs until May 21 at the Fire Station Artist in Residence Centre in Doha. For more information about the exhibition, visit www.qm.org.qa
aseaman@thenational.ae
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs: 2018 Genesis G70
Price, base / as tested: Dh155,000 / Dh205,000
Engine: 3.3-litre, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 370hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 510Nm @ 1,300rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.6L / 100km
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight, Wednesday, BeIN Sports
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
Rocketman
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jamie Bell
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
match info
Chelsea 2
Willian (13'), Ross Barkley (64')
Liverpool 0
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
