Picasso Portraits, National Portrait Gallery

An exhibition not to be missed, this show focuses on the many faces of Picasso portraiture, all of people he knew, painted from memory and live sittings. Characters from Picasso's social, artistic and family life are encountered as the show runs through his frantic life.
As such, his entire career is covered, every one of his phases touched on and his relentless experimentation highlighted. For example, the two portraits illustrated here are both of his first wife Olga Khokhlova, one portayal, of 1923, is classical and realistic, the other, from 1935, radically abstracted.
Picasso challenged what constitutes a portrait with innovation, freedom of expression and technical exploration. He produced an astonishing variety of portraits, all with a sense of intimacy and a touch of genius.
Picasso Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery until 5th February 2017