What we can learn from Picasso
by Kate Steele, Executive Vice President EMEA, Creation
In 1932 Picasso turned 50. He had a country house, an expensive car and Saville Row suits. He was rich, famous and…irrelevant. Except of course he wasn’t.
If you’ve visited London’s Tate Modern’s latest blockbuster, Picasso 1932 — Love, Fame, Tragedy, then you’ll know that in just one year, Picasso produced over 100 pieces of art. Walking through the exhibition a couple of weeks ago, even though I’d dutifully read the reviews, I was astonished. Everywhere was Picasso’s productivity, energy and experimentation. And yet…this isn’t how it’s supposed to be when you turn 50, is it? This isn’t what you’re supposed to do after you’ve made your name, your fame and your money. Don’t you stop trying? And just repeat? Or retreat?
Yes, it’s reductively glib pop-psychology to point out that Picasso at 50 had also acquired a much younger mistress (but he had). And when curating his first-ever retrospective exhibition that year, commented: “I feel like I am witnessing a retrospective vision of myself ten years after my death.” Ah, the focussing of the mind of the mid-life crisis. As someone hurtling towards 50 myself, I do see a new found energy (and unlikely enthusiasm for exercise) among my contemporaries. But that’s not what this is. This is an artist at the peak of his fame still willing to experiment. To push himself creatively. To try different things (and sometimes fail — I’d skip quite quickly past the August pictures of his home). To remain part of a cultural conversation. This is an artist who has yet to paint Guernica, remember.
When I walked around the Picasso exhibition I was awed…but I wasn’t intimidated. I found it inspiring. Clearly I’ll never get my own rooms at The Tate. But it’s a challenge to all of us, whatever our age and how ever long we’ve been in our roles, to have the confidence to experiment. Nothing is ever ‘done’. In my industry (communications, public relations, marketing services), as I suspect in yours, you’ve seen technology disrupt your business models dramatically over the last decade. But isn’t that a good thing? Who wants to be doing the same thing, day in, day out? Staying relevant, doing something new, isn’t that all part of being human — one of the parts that contributes to us being the best possible version of human that you can be? Yes, I’ve cleverly woven in the overarching topic of this content series…well done for spotting it…
So, if you find yourself in London, then do head to the Tate Modern — I’m sure you’ll be inspired by Picasso’s remarkable year. And if you aren’t going to find yourself in this part of the world any time soon, then maybe it’s worth heading out to your local art gallery, for a change of perspective on all of the possibilities before you.
