“Imagine Picasso,” a massive immersive multimedia experience that transports visitors into the amazing realm of Pablo Picasso, makes its U.S. premiere on Feb. 9 in San Francisco.
The exhibit draws upon more than 200 images of the great artist’s works, extending from the Bleu and Rose periods to Picasso’s masterpieces in the surrealism and cubism movements. The images are combined with a mix of “educational moments, thoughtful scenography and tasteful music pairings that bring pieces to life,” according to a news release.
It definitely sounds like organizers picked the right place to host this kind of immersive exhibit, given that the the Skylight at the Armory is a 40,000-square-foot venue complete with vaulted 80-foot ceilings. That setting allows for the images to be projected onto giant origami structures — which are inspired by Picasso’s late work — standing as tall as 26 feet.
The Bay Area has been Ground Zero for the immersive art phenomenon. Two popular Vincent van Gogh exhibits recently came through the area — “Immersive Van Gogh” and “Beyond Van Gogh” — definitely might want to check out “Imagine Picasso.” The Asian Art Museum is hosting the lush immersive and interactive “TeamLab: Continuity” through February (asianart.org) and the San Jose Museum of Art has the immersive video installation “Factory of the Sun,” by German filmmaker Hito Steyerl, on display through September. (sjmusart.org.)
The exhibit runs Feb. 9 to March 27. Tickets start at $39.99 for adults (children 5 and under), imagine-picasso.com.
