The Swiss collector Georges Bloch (1901–1984) was not only a lifelong champion of the work of Pablo Picasso, he was also renowned in the art world as a true connoisseur of the Spanish artist’s work. He built up a collection of almost all of Picasso’s prints and published a four-volume catalogue raisonné of Picasso’s printed oeuvre. The two became close friends and were regularly in contact—Picasso sometimes even acted on artistic suggestions from Bloch.
Starting in 1972, Bloch donated a representative selection of over 500 prints to the Gottfried Keller-Stiftung with instructions that they were to be shared between eight Swiss museums, one of which is the Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich, and it is with the greatest pleasure that the Graphische Sammlung now takes its turn in fulfilling Bloch’s condition that works from his donation should be exhibited at regular intervals. Following the focus on particular themes in past presentations of works from Bloch’s donation in other museums, the Graphische Sammlung has chosen to turn the spotlight on the unique friendship between Picasso and Bloch. The exhibits—over eighty in all— reference that close relationship. All the various phases of Picasso’s work feature in the exhibition, from his Blue Period to his late works. The fascinating stylistic diversity of Picasso’s prints also demonstrates his supreme mastery of the different techniques he used. His at times unconventional approach to printmaking often produced astonishing results that consistently challenge the viewer and shed new light on familiar themes.
Curator: Dr. Linda Schädler, Head, Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich
Project assistant and researcher: Mariko Mugwyler
The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue published by Hirmer Verlag (Ger/Eng).
With much appreciated support from the Georges und Jenny Bloch Stiftung
Exhibition at Museo d’arte Mendrisio: 5 October 2025 to 25 January 2026:
Pablo Picasso. Master of Printmaking. Works from the Georges Bloch donation to the
Gottfried Keller-Stiftung
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