For Immediate Release

Contact: Nicole Griffin, SAM Public Relations
(206) 654-3158; email: PR@SeattleArtMuseum.org

TICKETS GO ON SALE SUNDAY, AUGUST 1 FOR UPCOMING PICASSO EXHIBITION AT SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

Landmark exhibition features iconic works from every phase of the artist’s celebrated career.

Picasso
October 8, 2010–January 17, 2011

SEATTLE, July 29, 2010 – Tickets for Seattle Art Museum’s landmark exhibition Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris will go on sale this Sunday, August 1, 2010. Tickets will be available for purchase online at www.picassoinseattle.org or in person at the Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Avenue in downtown Seattle.

The exhibition will be on view in Seattle from October 8, 2010, through January 17, 2011, including the Monday, Martin Luther King Day Holiday.

In February of this year, SAM announced that it will present Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris, an extraordinary exhibition of the work of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). The exhibition will present iconic works from virtually every phase of Picasso’s legendary career. Drawn from the collection of the Musée National Picasso in Paris, the largest and most important repository of the artist’s work in the world, the exhibition will feature more than 150 original works of art, including approximately 75 paintings and sculptures, complemented by an important selection of prints, drawings and photographs.

“This will be the Northwest’s first major presentation of Pablo Picasso’s work,” said Derrick Cartwright, The lllsley Ball Nordstrom Director of SAM. “As such, it represents a once-in-a-lifetime chance for a large public to view these important objects in Seattle. My colleagues and I are extremely proud to be the first US venue for this traveling exhibition, which surveys the entire career of an individual who was arguably the most influential, and radical, creative force of the 20th century. Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris promises to be a milestone not just for this great museum, but for the entire city.”

The unparalleled opportunity to present this work is possible at this time because the Musée Picasso has recently closed for renovations, allowing a global tour of this full-scale survey to travel for the first and, very likely, the only time. The presentation at SAM will be the US debut of these works which follows the Atheneum Art Museum in Helsinki, Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. SAM has worked closely with Anne Baldassari, Director of the Musée National Picasso and general curator of the exhibition, to create a highly memorable exhibition that not only highlights outstanding works from its collection, but tells a compelling story about the artist’s development and undeniable impact on modern art history.

“The exhibition presents an entire sweep of Picasso’s career documenting the full range of his unceasing inventiveness and creative process,” said Chiyo Ishikawa, Susan Brotman Deputy Director for Art and Curator of European Painting and Sculpture, and co-curator of the show in Seattle.

The Musée Picasso’s holdings stand apart from any other collection of Picasso’s work because they represent the artist’s personal collection–works that the highly self-aware artist kept for himself with the intent of shaping his own artistic legacy. Every major period from Picasso’s prolific output over eight decades will be represented by iconic works, including the Blue Period’s La Celestina (1904), the Rose Period’s The Two Brothers (1906), the African art-inspired Three figures under a tree (1907-08), the Cubist Man with a guitar (1911), and the classicizing Two women running on the beach (La Course) (1922), to mention only the first quarter of his career.

TICKETS
Tickets for Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris go on sale to the general public on August 1, 2010. Tickets will be available for purchase online at www.picassoinseattle.org or in person at the Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Avenue in downtown Seattle.

All-inclusive prices include the audio tour (while supplies last), and, for a limited time, SAM will waive the $3 transaction fee when you buy Picasso tickets online.

TICKET PRICES FOR THE EXHIBITION WILL BE:

• $23 Adults
• $20 seniors 62 and over, military with ID
• $18 students with ID, youth 13-17
• FREE Children 12 and under
• FREE SAM Members

• $20 Adults
• $17 Seniors 62+, Military (with ID)
• $14 Student (with ID), Youth 13-17
• FREE Children12 and under
• FREE SAM Members

• $12 Adults
• $9 Seniors 62+, Military (with ID)
• $8 Student (with ID), Teens 13-17
• FREE Children 12 and under
• FREE SAM Members

• FREE copy of Bridging Cultures, a guide to the permanent collections at SAM, for each group member (while supplies last)
• 10% discount at SAM SHOP for each group member.
• Guaranteed admission on days that may sell out.
• Convenient ticketing. Tickets can be mailed or held at Will Call for pick up.
• Discounted group ticket pricing for adults, seniors and students

• $20 Adults
• $17 Seniors 62+, Military (with ID)
• $14 Student (with ID), Youth 13-17
• FREE Children12 and under
• FREE SAM Members

• $19 Adults
• $16 Seniors 62+, Military (with ID)
• $13 Student (with ID), Teens 13-17
• FREE Children 12 and under
• FREE SAM Members

Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris is co-organized by the Musée National Picasso and the Seattle Art Museum.

This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The Seattle presentation of this exhibition is made possible with critical funding provided by SAM’s Fund for Special Exhibitions. The Presenting Sponsors are Microsoft and CHASE. Major sponsors are The Boeing Company, The Seattle Art Museum Supporters (SAMS) and Seattle Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs. Supporting sponsors are Olson Kundig Architects and Sotheby’s. Additional support provided by Leona M. Geyer Charitable Trust, Melbourne Tower, and Russell Investments. Media Sponsors are King 5 Television and The Seattle Times. Official Airline Sponsor is Delta Air Lines. Official Hotel Sponsor is Four Seasons Hotel Seattle. (Sponsor list as of 9/30/10).