Picasso: Private Collection of Rare Works by the Artist stops in Monaco

A remarkable collection of 32 works on paper, ceramics and sculpture by Pablo Picasso assembled over 25 years and spanning key moments in the artist’s career is coming to Monaco. The exhibition is on at the Moretti Fine Art gallery (27 avenue de la Costa) until December 22 and is free to attend.

Stops in London, Paris, New York and Monaco

This autumn, the collection by Pieter and Olga Dreesmann was unveiled before travelling to London, Paris and New York. Marking the 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death, the exhibition represents a rare opportunity to acquire a diverse range of works from one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.

Since the first Picasso work entered their collection in 1997, Dutch collector Pieter Dreesmann and his wife Olga have worked closely with James Roundell to build and shape the collection. From early Blue, Rose and Cubist explorations to Neo-classicism, Surrealism and later periods of his career, the works in the collection date from 1899 to 1962 and cover the broad spectrum of Picasso’s artistic evolution.

“It has been a great pleasure collecting and living with these works over the past twenty-five years, as well as sharing them with the public through loans to exhibitions across Europe and the United States. Each of these objects holds special significance for us but we have decided now is the right time for others to have the opportunity to own and enjoy them as we begin a new chapter in our lives as collectors,” said Pieter and Olga Dreesmann.

Highlights include the 1915 watercolour still life ‘Guitare sur une table’, the 1929 pen-and-ink drawing of a swimmer on a beach ‘Baigneuse au ballon’ and the bold image of a woman crying ‘Femme hurlant sa douleur’, which was made during the Spanish Civil War and has similarities with the weeping women in Picasso’s masterpiece ‘Guernica’.

The exhibition is accompanied by a scholarly publication written by renowned Picasso expert Dr. Marilyn McCully, and each work has been individually catalogued by Dr. Molly Taylor. Pieter and Olga remain supporters of art research though the Dr. Anton C. R. Dreesmann Fellowship at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. They also donate to various philanthropic causes linked to the care of children with genetic disorders and special needs and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this Picasso collection will be given to these charitable endeavours.