Curated by esteemed scholars Dieter Buchhart and Anna Karina Hofbauer, in close collaboration with Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, the exhibition “Pablo Picasso - The Code of Painting” presents Pablo Picasso‘s late work, a period defined by the artist’s radical approach as he continuously redefined and pushed the boundaries of painting. Harshly criticized and often overlooked after his death, Picasso’s late period was marked by an astonishing pace of creation, a legacy of extraordinary artistic vitality and freedom. His oeuvre reflects the profound struggles and turbulences of twentieth-century history, as well as the revolutionary transformations of painting during that era.
Exploring some of the dominant themes of Picasso‘s late period that highlight his deliberate departure from the conventional notions of painting, the exhibition will bring together more than 50 paintings and a series of 13 hand painted ceramic plates. Examining the tension between the reduction of figurative subjects to a basic code and the energy of dynamic brushstrokes, the exhibition celebrates the outstanding significance of Picasso‘s late work, which continues to be an enduring, decisive, defining and inspiring source of inspiration for contemporary artists.
A unique collaboration in Scandinavia
“Pablo Picasso - The Code of Painting” also represents a unique collaboration between private and public institutions throughout Scandinavia, bringing one of the major artists of the twentieth century to the Nordic countries in 2025 and 2026. After its debut at PoMo in Trondheim, the exhibition will be touring throughout Scandinavia and will be on show at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm (22 November 2025 - 5 April 2026)
About the curators:
Dieter Buchhart (b. 1971 in Vienna, Austria) is a curator, art historian, and art theorist. He has curated major exhibitions on Edvard Munch, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Alexander Calder in such internationally renowned museums as the Guggenheim Bilbao; the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris; the Musée d’Art moderne de Paris; the Albertina, Vienna; the Art Gallery of Ontario; and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. Dr. Dr. Buchhart holds two doctorates in art history and art conservation. From 2007 to 2009, he was director of the Kunsthalle Krems near Vienna. As an art theorist, he has contributed many catalogue essays, magazine, articles, and lectures. His main areas of research range from Expressionism and art around 1900 to art from the 1980s to the present. He is a leading expert on the fundamental research on Jean-Michel Basquiat’s artworks.
Anna Karina Hofbauer Anna Karina Hofbauer (b. 1973 in Skælskør, Denmark) is an art historian, freelance curator, and art critic. Her research ranges from modernism to contemporary art, with a focus on participatory art and relational aesthetics. Dr. Hofbauer has curated and co-curated exhibitions on modern and contemporary art in renowned international museums such as the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris; the Musée d’Art moderne de Paris; the Albertina, Vienna; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne featuring artists such as Oskar Kokoschka, Alexander Calder, Edvard Munch, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring among others. She holds a PhD in art history.
Exploring some of the dominant themes of Picasso‘s late period that highlight his deliberate departure from the conventional notions of painting, the exhibition will bring together more than 50 paintings and a series of 13 hand painted ceramic plates. Examining the tension between the reduction of figurative subjects to a basic code and the energy of dynamic brushstrokes, the exhibition celebrates the outstanding significance of Picasso‘s late work, which continues to be an enduring, decisive, defining and inspiring source of inspiration for contemporary artists.
A unique collaboration in Scandinavia
“Pablo Picasso - The Code of Painting” also represents a unique collaboration between private and public institutions throughout Scandinavia, bringing one of the major artists of the twentieth century to the Nordic countries in 2025 and 2026. After its debut at PoMo in Trondheim, the exhibition will be touring throughout Scandinavia and will be on show at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm (22 November 2025 - 5 April 2026)
About the curators:
Dieter Buchhart (b. 1971 in Vienna, Austria) is a curator, art historian, and art theorist. He has curated major exhibitions on Edvard Munch, Egon Schiele, Oskar Kokoschka, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Alexander Calder in such internationally renowned museums as the Guggenheim Bilbao; the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris; the Musée d’Art moderne de Paris; the Albertina, Vienna; the Art Gallery of Ontario; and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco. Dr. Dr. Buchhart holds two doctorates in art history and art conservation. From 2007 to 2009, he was director of the Kunsthalle Krems near Vienna. As an art theorist, he has contributed many catalogue essays, magazine, articles, and lectures. His main areas of research range from Expressionism and art around 1900 to art from the 1980s to the present. He is a leading expert on the fundamental research on Jean-Michel Basquiat’s artworks.
Anna Karina Hofbauer Anna Karina Hofbauer (b. 1973 in Skælskør, Denmark) is an art historian, freelance curator, and art critic. Her research ranges from modernism to contemporary art, with a focus on participatory art and relational aesthetics. Dr. Hofbauer has curated and co-curated exhibitions on modern and contemporary art in renowned international museums such as the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris; the Musée d’Art moderne de Paris; the Albertina, Vienna; National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne featuring artists such as Oskar Kokoschka, Alexander Calder, Edvard Munch, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring among others. She holds a PhD in art history.
About the scenographer:
Cécile Degos is a leading figure in the field of scenography. Her creative approach — both meticulous and bold — gives rise to immersive exhibitions that offer multiple layers of interpretation. Her work consistently bridges the architectural context of each venue and the identity of the artist, while embracing a distinctly contemporary sensibility. Over the years, she has contributed to major projects such as the installation of the Pinault Collection at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, and has worked on landmark exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts (London), the Palais de Monaco, and Christie’s (notably for the Hubert de Givenchy Collection). She also collaborates with renowned international galleries including Gagosian, Kamel Mennour, and Perrotin. She recently created the scenography for Paths to Modernity: Masterpieces from the Musée d'Orsay, Paris — the largest exhibition ever organized by the Musée d'Orsay in China — currently on view at the Museum of Art Pudong (MAP) in Shanghai.
Cécile Degos is a leading figure in the field of scenography. Her creative approach — both meticulous and bold — gives rise to immersive exhibitions that offer multiple layers of interpretation. Her work consistently bridges the architectural context of each venue and the identity of the artist, while embracing a distinctly contemporary sensibility. Over the years, she has contributed to major projects such as the installation of the Pinault Collection at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, and has worked on landmark exhibitions at the Royal Academy of Arts (London), the Palais de Monaco, and Christie’s (notably for the Hubert de Givenchy Collection). She also collaborates with renowned international galleries including Gagosian, Kamel Mennour, and Perrotin. She recently created the scenography for Paths to Modernity: Masterpieces from the Musée d'Orsay, Paris — the largest exhibition ever organized by the Musée d'Orsay in China — currently on view at the Museum of Art Pudong (MAP) in Shanghai.