The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie will soon be a temporary home to a large collection of prints, sculptures, and stories from two of the art world’s legendary innovators.
The exhibition, known as Passion Projects, will showcase “Bullfight!” by Pablo Picasso, which explores the cubism artist’s lifelong fascination with the sport, cultural tradition, and imagery of bullfighting. “The Bible” by Marc Chagall is a series of images reflecting stories told in the Old Testament, which was a source of inspiration for him, and early modernist works.
AGGP Executive Director Jeff Erbach says an exhibition of this magnitude is unprecedented in the Peace Region.
“The exhibition is extraordinary and means a number of firsts for the gallery and the community. This is the first opportunity we’ve had to take on a major loan of collection pieces from national museums, [and] it’s the first occasion in the Peace Region which there is an exhibition of two people who have contributed to art history.”
Erbach says credit for bringing the collection to the region comes down to the incredible work done by curatorial staff. He says it will hopefully expand the reach of the facility, offering up exhibits normally reserved for major urban centres.
“Grande Prairie is able to take on a show of this calibre, a show many residents would feel they have to travel to Vancouver, Toronto, or Winnipeg to see.”
Erbach ADDS the Picasso portion of the exhibit will include 38 prints and three sculptures, while 20 etchings from Chagall will also be on display.
Passion Projects will be open to the public on October 1st and run until January 9, 2022. The exhibition was made possible thanks to a generous donation from the Sargent Family Endowment Fund and is sponsored by partners of the Destination Marketing Fund and the Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association.
