Art FIFA 2016: Picasso, Making of the Icon

Picasso, naissance d'une icône
The Making of the Icon

Film by Hopi Lebel 

France | French | subtitled English | 2015 | 54 min

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

This film brings to life Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973) who is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century. He was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and stage designer who spent most of his life in France. He is known for co-founding the Cubist movement, and also for the wide variety of styles that he helped to develop and explore.

Among Picasso’s  most famous works are Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), and Guernica (1937) which  portrays the Bombing of the Basque town Guernica by the German and Italian air forces at the request of the Spanish nationalist government during the Spanish Civil War. Both masterpieces are discussed in the film.

The film exams the artist’s life, presents many photographs and video clips of his public appearances and from his private life, and attempts to uncover how Picasso conquered the imagination of people not only with his art but also with his personality and self-promotion. Yet no replicable formula of his success was uncovered. He was a very unique man. No one could replicate his success by following his example in attempting to achieve fame and artistic recognition as Picasso did. And this comes out loud and clear in the film.

Official Synopses:

“Picasso is a towering figure in contemporary art and in contemporary mindsets, not only because of his boundless creativity, but because of his innate talent for communication. His need to nurture his own public image became evident and essential to him very early on. Intercut with previously unreleased archival material and interviews with specialists and those who knew him, this film sheds new light on how the most famous painter in the world was able to mould his own legend and become the universal embodiment of the creative genius.”

Hopi Lebel

After studies in art history and philosophy, Hopi Lebel became a writer-director. All of his films have been shown on French television.

Filmography | Helsinki (2000) ; Goa (2001) ; Francis Picabia (2002), 21e FIFA ; Vuillard (2003), 22e FIFA ; Avec Vincent Lindon (2002) ;  Qui a tué dada ? (2005), 24e FIFA ; Clint Eastwood (2007), 26e FIFA, coréal. Michael Wilson ; Édouard Manet, une inquiétante étrangeté (2011), 30e FIFA.

Production Team:

Screenplay Stéphane Guéguan, Hopi Lebel
Cinematography Denis Gaubert
Editing Marine Benveniste
Music Manuel Peskine
Participation Olivier Widmaier Picasso, Jeff Koons, Maya Widmaier Picasso, Diana Widmaier Picasso, John Richardson, Guy Scarpetta, Didier Ottinger, Glenn D. Lowry, Nathalie Heinich, Philippe Dagen, Émilie Bouvard, Stéphane Guéguan
Artists Pablo Picasso, Olivier Widmaier-Picasso, Jeff Koons, Maya Widmaier Picasso, Diana Widmaier Picasso, John Richardson, Guy Scarpetta, Didier Ottinger, Glenn D. Lowry, Nathalie Heinich, Philippe Dagen, Émilie Bouvard, Stéphane Guéguan
Producer Sylvie Cazin
Production INA, Welcome, RMN-Grand Palais
Distribution INA

For more information and film scheduling, visit the Art FIFA website.

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