Pablo Picasso imagined, invented, constructed and modelled sculptural forms throughout his lifetime. The Málaga-born artist created this group of sixty-two sculptures between 1909 and 1964. This is the first show in Spain to offer a unique survey of Picasso’s interest in, and skill at, constructing human figures and, in particular, his constant play at achieving fanciful representations of the face.

This publication attests to the many methods of execution used by the artist to explore possible ways of representing the body, assembling or deconstructing it from a variety of approaches – from tiny, intimate formats to monumental public works. To do so he employed a broad range of supports such as wood, bronze, iron, cement, steel, plaster and a surprising assortment of waste materials and household objects. This illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition Picasso Sculptor. Matter and Body, an event organised by the museum as part of the international commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death and coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of its opening in 2003.