Image: detail of Picasso in his garden c.1955, photography by Stanley Stanley © Succession Picasso/DACS, London 2018

*This exhibition is now closed*

Never before seen images of Picasso on holiday in the South of France. This exhibition explored the story of a chance encounter in 1954 between amateur British photographer Stanley Stanley and Picasso on the beach of Antibes. The two hit it off, and Picasso invited Stanley to his nearby villa.   

Stanley spent several days with Picasso, his family and circle of friends, and during this period the artist allowed him to record the visit in a series of photographs. The result was a sequence of images which are informal and offer a unique insight into the family life of the world-famous artist.

The photographs include an open-shirted Picasso smoking in the sunshine, his young daughter Paloma playing on the beach, Picasso standing in the sea with a beautiful young Parisian woman known only as Nivea, and Ernst Ascher, the Austrian dealer of African art, seen in the sea with a face drawn by Picasso across his stomach.

Also included in the exhibition was a painted ceramic plate, made by Picasso and gifted to Stanley. The plate sat undisplayed for many decades in Stanley’s sock drawer because, although he enjoyed the artist's company, he had no great regard for his art. This was exhibited alongside the Rolleiflex camera Stanley used to take the photographs.

10 -  29 April 2018