A New Light

When I was in Paris last month, I visited the exhibit curated by fashion designer Paul Smith, Picasso Celebration: The Collection in a New Light, at the Musee Picasso. Paul Smith was asked to show Picasso ‘in a new light’ on the 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death (quite a different take than the one provided by Hannah Gadsby at the Brooklyn Museum). Above is a corridor at the exhibit fully carpeted in Paul Smith’s signature stripe.

What struck me most about the exhibit was the play on color from room to room and how the walls interacted with the paintings. In the image above, the entire room is painted in horizontal stripes in the same palette as the artwork. The stripes make the room come playfully alive.

One of my favorite rooms had high ceilings and was clad head-to-toe in imperfect vertical stripes. This was a room I think Picasso would very much enjoy. The stripes exaggerated the proportions of the space similar to how Picasso plays with scale and forms in his work.

From room to room, the colors interacted with one another. Blue into yellow into tones of green. It made me think how important it is to take risks with color and how being surrounded by color influences your mood and energy.

I read an article where Paul Smith attributed Picasso’s success to the fact that he was always open to trying new ideas. This resonated with me.

I went to Paris to find inspiration for my work. Here, I found not only inspiration, but also validation: what Paul Smith did here for Picasso, I try to do for the vintage furniture I work on.