"Every child is an artist," Pablo Picasso reportedly once said. "The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." In Picasso et la famille (Picasso and the family), the first exhibition to bring his work to Lebanon, 20 pieces in various media demonstrate the Spanish artist's own ability to tap into a childlike spirit of playfulness in his work, seeking inspiration in his own life and the creativity of his children, as well as the universal themes of love, parenthood and family.
The exhibition, which runs at the Sursock Museum until Monday, January 6, is organised in collaboration with Musee Picasso Paris and features several works that have rarely – if ever – been shown in public. It is curated by Sursock Museum's Yasmine Chemali and Camille Frasca, head of the Picasso-Mediterranee project, an international venture to display Picasso's work by the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The exhibition in Beirut marks the finale of the project, which has included more than 40 shows held over the past two years.
"I think this theme is particularly generous," Chemali says. "It allows us to speak about the first years of the creation of Picasso – he was 14 years old when he painted the first work – and the last period that we are showing, quite extensively, is the last six months or year before he passed away. It's really autobiographical about himself and his way of seeing relationships [but] it's not just his family."
Divided into four sections, the exhibition includes paintings, drawings, etchings and sculptures and is arranged chronologically, providing a thematic approach to understanding Picasso’s life and his creative progression.
The artist, who lived from 1881 to 1973, was no traditional family man. Fathering four children with three women over the course of several decades, he was married twice and maintained a string of lovers. While some of the works on show reveal aspects of the artist's own life, inspired by his relationships with women or his fascination with his children's forays into painting, many deal with the more general themes of friendship, love and parenthood.
In this exhibition you have a selection of works that is quite unexpected.
"In this exhibition you have a selection of works that is quite unexpected," Chemali says. "You won't see the Blue period or the Pink period or even the Cubist period. We are showing things that are a bit different and even artworks that are – definitely for the first time in the Middle East, but maybe also for the first time in their lives – coming out of museum storage."
The work spans a period from 1895, when Picasso was only 14 years old, to 1972, when he was 92. The Barefoot Girl, the earliest work in the show, is a touching portrait that demonstrates not only Picasso's technical genius but also the raw emotional power of his work. One of his first oil paintings, it captures a young woman in a faded red dress, her cheeks still rosy and round with the softness of childhood, but her downcast eyes filled with sadness. "She was a very poor girl. Maybe he met her in the streets of Barcelona or Madrid," Frasca says. "This poor girl is the vision of the young painter regarding this figure of a little girl on the streets, so it's an emotional way to see … This is the period in which he had lost his young sister, Conchita."
Beside the painting are two small drawings, one a tender sketch of the artist’s mother and his other sister, Lola, embroidering side by side, and the other a bold, almost sculptural drawing of two women standing together, looking down at a baby and a small child. These two works convey the breadth of the exhibition, Frasca says, synthesising the artist’s personal life and his approach to the symbolism of family in a more universal sense, inspired by Old Masters, religious iconography and literature.
The second phase of the exhibition is the most abstract and emotionally complex, coinciding with Picasso's love affairs with two of the most important women in his life – Marie-Therese Walter and the Surrealist photographer Dora Maar – and with the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War. A diminutive carved wooden sculpture capturing a couple locked in an embrace, and a large bronze sculpture depicting the abstracted, voluptuous curves of the female form are offset by works that hint at Picasso's emotional turmoil in response to the conflict in his homeland and the cost of his self-imposed exile to oppose Francisco Franco's rule.
The artist's preoccupation with violence can be glimpsed in a tiny drawing from 1943, an ink sketch overlaying a photograph on a fragment of torn newspaper. He had drawn a man holding a baby, which appears to be crying in fear or pain. Entitled The Kiss, it shows the man with a grotesque, elongated mouth full of teeth appearing to bite the infant's chubby cheek.
"This kiss is a devouring kiss. It's an awful kiss. It's an image of the family, but of the disaster of the family, the disaster of war as well. This is like an animal, like the animals that you would have in Guernica as well," Frasca says of Picasso's powerful anti-war painting depicting the aftermath of a Nazi bombing.
The third section takes the most literal approach to the concept of family, focusing on a period in the 1950s, after Picasso fathered his two youngest children, Claude and Paloma. One sketch from this period captures the youngsters playing together under the protective eye of their mother. A bold, childlike painting captures a similar scene, exemplifying how Picasso, now in his seventies, found inspiration in his own children's artistic naivety and spontaneity, echoing their use of primary colours and basic geometric shapes.
“At 12 years old I could paint like Raphael, but it took me a whole lifetime to learn to paint like a child,” he once said.
Three sculptures reveal Picasso's exploration of pregnancy and motherhood, including a playful collage of cut and folded sheet metal depicting a mother playing with her child, holding the infant joyfully aloft in a moment that celebrates maternal intimacy. The curators have also included a selection of black-and-white photographs capturing Picasso playing with his children and painting in his studio, contextualising the works against a biographical backdrop that helps to convey the ways in which his life circumstances dictated his approach to subject and style.
The final section of the exhibition tackles fictional families, featuring a selection of large paintings completed between 1969 and 1972, many inspired by figures from literature. Characterised by freedom and spontaneity, these paintings are bold and stylised, executed at great speed. The artist sometimes produced as many as three in a single day. "This very last period is like a synthesis of all the periods he went through before and he was exploring all his life," Frasca says. One painting captures an old man lying down with a young child balanced on his legs, waving a paintbrush in the air.
"It's a family observation and I guess the autobiographical link [comes from] knowing that Picasso's father was a painter as well, and that Picasso himself was teaching his children how to paint and draw," she reflects. "He is the kid and at some point, he is the old man as well."
Picasso et la famille runs until Monday, January 6, at Sursock Museum, Ashrafieh, Beirut
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Everton 1 Stoke City 0
Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.3-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E299hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E420Nm%20at%202%2C750rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E12.4L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh157%2C395%20(XLS)%3B%20Dh199%2C395%20(Limited)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
India cancels school-leaving examinations
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Palestine and Israel - live updates
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars
The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.4-litre%2C%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeight-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E617hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E750Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh630%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Abu%20Dhabi%E2%80%99s%20Racecard
%3Cp%3E%0D5pm%3A%20Al%20Bithnah%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(Turf)%201%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3E5.30pm%3A%20Al%20Khari%20%E2%80%93%20Hanidcap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3E6pm%3A%20Al%20Qor%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%0D%3Cbr%3E6.30pm%3A%20Wathba%20Stallions%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(T)%201%2C600m%0D%3Cbr%3E7pm%3A%20Al%20Badiyah%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%202%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3E7.30pm%3A%20Al%20Hayl%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%202%2C200m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mission%3A%20Impossible%20-%20Dead%20Reckoning%20Part%20One
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Christopher%20McQuarrie%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tom%20Cruise%2C%20Hayley%20Atwell%2C%20Pom%20Klementieff%2C%20Simon%20Pegg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Read more from Johann Chacko
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
![Pablo Picasso's 'Le Peintre et l’enfant' [The painter and the child]. Succession Picasso 2019](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/HQHEMSUBAY36XY6WGSGOZDN7QE.jpg?smart=true&auth=aadd1cb3f1e1bad2daff16f8eb40eea06ea0de6cdf62a7fa65d2d7e07649b94e&width=400&height=268)
