Picasso painting returns to Moncton Museum after 50 years

Lamp and Cherries, painted byPablo Picasso at theend of the Second World War, is on display at the MonctonMuseum for the second time in the museum's history.

The oil on canvas painting was a part of the museum'sfirst exhibit in 1973 and is once again on loan from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Both the MonctonMuseum and the TransportationDiscovery Centre are located inthe city's Resurgo Place.

Sophie Auffrey, the heritage development officer at Resurgo Place, said the artworkwas inspired byPicasso's reflection on death and confinementduring the war, when he lost his beloved friend Max Jacob, a Jewish poet and painterwho died in France in aninternmentcamp.

The oil on canvas painting was created in 1945.

She said Picasso "reinterpreted" a few objectsin his painting, such as the mirror, used as a symboldepicting the passage of time but reflectingnothing,and a lamp which gave no light.

"He did decide to add a bit of colour, he decided to add the cherries, something a little more positive, and that was to reflect on the liberation and the freedom that was to come."

Auffrey said the painting is very precious and her team had to be thoughtful about transportation and display

It required insurance, "a really solid, well made case" to store it during the move, and "the truck had to be climate controlled and very secure," she said.

WATCH | Take a peek at this pricey Picasso canvas:

Pablo Picasso painting on loan to Monctons Resurgo Place

1 year ago

Duration 2:20

Picassos Lamp and Cherries makes a return visit to Moncton museum to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

The painting currently has a separate room to itself, equipped with a barrier, an alarm system and signage to prevent visitors from touching it.

"When you come in, you kind of automatically have this kind of more quiet, pensive, reflective ambience going on here, so you can really spend time with the painting and sit there and contemplate," said Auffrey.

She also highlighted the fact that the room maintains a certain temperature range and also has a limited amount of lighting, as there are restrictions to how much the painting can handle.

When the MonctonCivic Museum, as it was known then, opened in1973, it featured an exhibition of more than30 paintings, including the Picasso borrowed from theMontreal Museum of Fine Arts.

So for the 50th anniversary celebration, set to take Oct. 19, the museum decided to bring back Lamp and Cherries.

"We wanted to have one highlight and have like a prominent artist that people would recognize, so we opted for the Picasso."

The painting will remain on display at the museum until Jan. 7, 2024.