Pablo Picasso and Paul Éluard were two great artists who shared not just a first name, but also artistic and literary tastes and even political views. They met in 1935, and since then their lives and works were closely linked. It was Éluard who introduced Picasso to Dora Maar, with whom the latter maintained a relationship from 1936 to 1944. This exhibition goes into the constellation of friendships and the intellectual environment that both artists shared through photographs, letters and drawings that reconstruct the scene of the cultural elite of wartime Europe, as well as its common political implication – Éluard convinced Picasso to join the Communist party – in the face of the difficult times they were experiencing.
The friendship between Picasso and Éluard was fruitful in many ways. Both artists admired each other and closely followed one another's careers. They gave each other paintings and poems, and dedicated works to each other. But they also collaborated closely on more than one occasion, merging painting and poetry. The exhibited works – many from Éluard's collection – and many of the books and manuscripts on display show this artistic and intellectual exhange.
Their friendship was cut short by the premature death of Éluard in 1952, which affected Picasso deeply. Now Picasso and Éluard come together once again through their works on show in the rooms of the Picasso Museum.