PICASSO, IMAGE OF THE MUSEUM: Works from the Collection of MoCA-Skopje

With the passage of time, certain artworks transcend their status as mere objects within a museum collection to become its defining hallmarks. The work Women’s Head (1963) by Pablo Picasso holds such a status in the history of the Museum of Contemporary Art – Skopje. Painted at a time when Picasso was already a central figure in European and global modern art, this painting acquired a distinct, local history in Skopje. It is not merely a piece in the museum’s collection but also one of the visual symbols through which the collection, the museum, and its unique history are made visible to the public.

For this reason, the exhibition does not present Women’s Head simply as a masterpiece to be viewed in isolation from its context. Instead, it begins by asking what happens to an artwork once it becomes part of a museum: how does its meaning shift as it moves from being an original painting to circulating as a reproduction, photograph, poster, or educational material? How can a single work simultaneously exist as a physical object, a visual sign, a memory, and a medium of communication?

Unfolding along three interconnected lines of inquiry, the exhibition seeks to explore how a single iconic image can open up a range of further questions and manifestations within visual culture.

The exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in Skopje, thus offers an opportunity to revisit one of the most recognizable works in the collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Skopje, while also revealing what typically surrounds it: its reproductions, archival traces, educational extensions, and historical connections. Thus, it becomes increasingly clear that a museum collection is not merely an assemblage of objects, but a system of constantly shifting relationships. Amidst this perpetual transition from one meaning to another, Picasso’s work consistently offers a compelling opportunity to re-examine the living history of the MoCA – Skopje.

The exhibition and the catalogue are realized with the financial support by the Embassy of Spain in Skopje.

Artist’s works presented at the exhibition: PABLO PICASSO, WIFREDO LAM, YVES ALIX, PETER MATEJKA, KAROL TCHOREK, MILE KORUBIN, SEPO SEVERO POZZATI, ORDAN PETLEVSKI, ZORA STAACK, VUJKA BOJAROVA, DIMITAR MANEV, MAURICE HENRY, MICHELE ANDAL, LEOPOLD SURVAGE, GIUSEPPE MIGNECA, PETAR LUBARDA, GEORG BASELITZ, BORIS NIKOLOSKI, EMIL FILLA, MARIA MALISZEWSKA, BRANKO RUŽIĆ.