The recent entry into the French national collections of a large number of works from the Picasso legacy constitutes an event of international importance. A distinctive group of masterworks has been assembled, honoring the most celebrated artist of the century.
It was decided that immediately following its first showing, at the Grand Palais in Paris, a selection from this collection would be loaned for exhibition to Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and that the majority of these would then be included in The Museum of Modern Art's exhibition, Pablo Picasso: A Retrospective. In making this group of works available, the French government is pleased to offer the American public the opportunity to see many of the most important pieces that will subsequently be installed in the new Musée Picasso, whose site will be the Hôtel Sale in the Marais district.
Although other French collections already contain important works by Picasso (the Museum of Modern Art and the Walter Guillaume collection in Paris, and the municipal museums of Antibes, Grenoble and Vallauris), it nevertheless became evident that France should establish a museum in Paris dedicated to the study and comprehensive presentation of Picasso's work.
A rigorous and representative selection of the masterpieces of the future Picasso museum has been entrusted to Minneapolis and New York, but several equally exceptional works had to remain in Paris because of sensitive conservation problems that would be posed by their transport; those the American public will eventually be able to see installed in the new museum.
The collection has a unique origin. For the first time in the history of French museums, a law passed on 31 December 1968, enabled the government to accept works of art in lieu of death duties. This has allowed us to assemble in one action an extraordinary group of works. Five years were required to overcome the many obstacles related to so complex an inheritance situation. Among these were the total lack of an inventory of objects stored in Picasso's various residences, as well as the difficulty of choosing cohesive groups of works of high quality that would reflect the heterogenous character of Picasso's production. Such an awesome project could not have been realized without the support of government officials, including Mr. Maurice Aicardi, President of the Commission Interministérielle d'Agrément, the cooperation of the heirs— especially the constant assistance of Madame Jacqueline Picasso —and, during the selection process, the thorough expertise of Jean Leymarie and Dominique Bozo.
As a result of such efforts the public can now contemplate works of art which speak for themselves and, better than any written commentary, render the homage due Picasso.