You may remember my reporting last year from the 2024 Venice Biennale for The Berkshire Edge*. I am a Berkshire artist, based in Great Barrington. Rapturous Alchemy (my exhibition that was shown in Venice) is now being exhibited at the Uxval Gochez Gallery in Barcelona. The Edge has asked me to share my adventures with you. This first article in the series will encompass the enchanting exhibition Growing Up Between Two Artists, A Tribute to Claude Picasso at the Picasso Museum (through October 6th) and a few images from the opening reception of my exhibition, Rapturous Alchemy at Uxval Gochez Gallery (through September 11).
On a side note, the citizens of Barcelona are very pleasant and helpful. There are not any signs of the fearful reports alluding to tourists being unwelcome and expectations of being sprayed with hoses by the residents. People here seem to be friendly, outgoing and relaxed (maybe we all need to take afternoon siestas). But it is clear that the Spanish people don’t agree with the current leadership of the United States and are experiencing the destabilizing global effects of the Donald Trump’s presidency.
“Growing up between two artists. A tribute to Claude Picasso.” Picasso Museum , Carrer de Montcada, 15-23, Ciutat Vella, 08003 Barcelona continuing through October 6, 2025
Pablo Picasso’s (1881- 1973) relationship with Francoise Gilot (1921- 2023) began in Paris in 1943 but did not solidify until they started to live together after the end of the World War II. Eventually they lived in the South of France in the small town of Galloise where they started to raise their family. Their son Claude was born in 1947, and their daughter Paloma was born in 1949. The pair never married and parted ways in 1953.
‘Only children and animals are allowed in the studio, adults must be thrown out as they break everything, Claude remembers his father, Pablo Picasso, saying. In the seemingly chaotic atmosphere in La Galloise, where everything appeared to be in disarray but was in fact in its proper place, it is no surprise that the children’s toys ended up featuring in Picasso’s work, and also that the painter would produce drawings for his children that would later become works of art.
As a result of this symbiosis, two of Claude’s toy cars were transformed into the face of an ape, and both children played with articulated harlequins made of cardboard and with cut-out figures of bullfighters and musketeers their father would occasionally fashion out of the boxes of the cigarettes he smoked. Picasso altered objects around him to put them to new use, to give them a new life. The dividing line between the toy and the artwork is nowhere to be seen (wall text in the current exhibition at the Picasso Museum).
The family ink works in the photos above were some of my favorite works in the exhibition, I had never seen Picasso work in this manner before.
Francoise Gilot
Francoise was a French painter, art critic and writer. In 1973 she was appointed art director of the academic journal “Virginia Woolf Quarterly.” She was awarded the Legion of Honor, one of France’s highest awards. In 1976 she joined the Department of Art at the University of Southern California. Francoise’s relationship with Pablo Picasso lasted ten years, 1943-1953.
Francoise Gilot was the mother to two of Picasso’s four children. After the births of Claude and Paloma, family life became the central theme of her practice.
The ‘rush of joy’ that motherhood brought her even prompted her to start painting in oils again. In 1953, following her separation from Picasso, Gilot returned to Paris with her two children and continued her career as an acclaimed painter. (exhibition wall text)
Claude Picasso (1947 – 2023) was a French photographer, cinematographer, film director, visual artist, graphic designer, businessman.
Paloma Picasso (1949 -) is a French jewelry designer and businesswoman. During her career she has has had many collaborations with Tiffany and Company.
Rapturous Alchemy in Barcelona at Uxval Gochez Gallery
Carrer de Sicilia, 382, Barcelona, Spain 08025, continues through September 11, 2025
The Corallium works were inspired by the rejuvenation of the coral reefs in the Playa Santa Bay in Puerto Rico. 15 years ago, the reefs were almost completely decimated due to pollution and boat traffic. In 2011, the Obama administration undertook an extensive federal project to bring back the coral reefs. The reefs were restored and thrived until the summer of 2023 when the sea temperature reached 104 and the bleaching process occurred, killing the habitat in the reefs. “Rapturous Alchemy” endeavors to raise awareness of the plight of coral reefs globally due to climate change
Experimentation with oil paint, sea water, alcohol and other painting mediums in the 95-degree sun create a watery environment in which the paintings form. Heat from the sun acts as a catalyst in coalescing the materials into new images. Physical intervention – like pouring layers of paint onto the canvas, sanding, drawing, adding to and subtracting from the painting surface – is key to the creation of the Corallium Series. Transparent film, canvas and wood panels serve as the foundation of these works. And built on them, materials and interactions mirror nature’s own inventive process. All of life has been formed—and transformed—by the water, elements and powerful forces of the sea. This perpetual churning materials both creates the infinite variety of life on earth – and sustains it.
The Corallium works are created with oil paint on archival film and are back lit on lightboxes for presentation.
Photographs from Exhibition and Opening Reception, Barcelona, August 21, 2025. Photos courtesy Uxval Gochez Gallery.
*Editor’s note: Bradley’s 2024 reporting from the Venice Biennale can be read here:
https://theberkshireedge.com/explore-the-2024-la-biennale-di-venezia-on-the-berkshire-edge/, https://theberkshireedge.com/report-from-la-biennale-di-venezia-the-usa-pavilion/, https://theberkshireedge.com/explore-the-2024-la-biennale-di-venezia-on-the-berkshire-edge/, https://theberkshireedge.com/report-from-la-biennale-di-venezia/, https://theberkshireedge.com/the-final-report-from-the-2024-la-biennale-di-venezia/
