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Jonathan Richman had it wrong: Pablo Picasso
was an asshole, and people talk about it all the time. The curatorial statement for the Fristâs
Picasso. Figures. exhibition begins with a question â âWas Pablo Picasso a misogynist?â â and quickly answers with a resounding affirmative. Itâs refreshing to see this level of honesty when the flawed master is so often treated with reverence.
The reckoning between great art and the sexist, sometimes-abusive men who create it is complicated, and even an exhibition as thorough as the Fristâs doesnât leave enough space to unpack all those ideas. What it does manage, though, is to create space enough to consider the questions. The exhibition features a film of Picasso painting on glass thatâs projected at life size, as well as portraits he painted at ages 13 and 90. Suffice to say, if you havenât been to the Frist to see the show yet: Do it. If youâve been al