Picasso coup for tiny art school in occupied Palestinian territory

Director’s outrageous idea to exhibit masterpiece becomes reality after two fraught years It began as a joke, an outrageous idea to exhibit a Picasso masterpiece at a tiny art school in the occupied Palestinian territory. Slowly the idea gained traction, turning into a logistical and financial nightmare for its supporters and finally a triumph as Buste de Femme (1943), valued at £4.5m, goes on show in Ramallah today. Thousands of visitors are expected to see the work, the first masterpiece to be exhibited in the Palestinian territories, although only three people will be allowed in at a time to ensure the humidity in the purpose-built viewing room does not damage the 100 x 80 centimetre oil-on-canvas work – a cubist deconstruction of a woman’s face, dominated by grey hues. The painting’s journey from the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven this week, at a cost of £50,000 in insurance and transport, began when Khaled Hourani, the director of the International Art Academy in Ramallah, visited the museum in 2008 and suggested a loan. “This started off as a crazy idea to bring a European masterpiece to a war-zone but I was only half-joking, ” he said. According to Remco de Blaaij, a curator at the Van Abbemuseum, staff began to take the idea seriously and work out how they could lend one of their works to a Palestinian gallery. It is relatively easy for internationally recognised museums to lend each other works of art, but the occupied territory is not a state and does not have a recognised museum. “Insurance was one of the first obstacles. One company declined but another responded with enthusiasm. The head of the company travelled to Ramallah to see how it would work and returned determined to help make it happen,” said De Blaaij. The insurance company required the normal safeguards: three guards in close vicinity and other guards nearby, camera surveillance, and temperature and humidity-controlled room. The academy had to build a room within a room, with a glass sliding door. But insurance was only one problem. Normally, Israeli customs would require a deposit of around 15% of the value of an imported work into its territory to ensure that it was not sold illegally. Buste de Femme has an estimated value of £4.5m. After negotiation, Israeli customs waived the deposit. Earlier this week the painting, weighing about 5kg, was loaded into a 200kg crate, which includes a glass case, layers of protection and shock absorbers. It travelled from Eindhoven to Amsterdam, from where it was flown to Tel Aviv. From there it was moved with a police escort to the Qalandia checkpoint, a regular scene of confrontation between Israeli forces and Palestinian demonstrators, then driven for three miles without an escort through an area where Israeli forces rarely venture and Palestinian police are not allowed to operate. In Ramallah it was placed under Palestinian police guard. Once at the academy it was left to acclimatise for a day before it was unpacked, framed and hung. Hourani said that the Picasso was chosen by the art students and his mother. “I want this to appeal to people like my mother and art students. Picasso remains inspirational because his work is related to war, peace and freedom.” Hourani hopes that Buste de Femme will not be the last masterpiece to be exhibited in the territory. “We want this to become a normality but it is the last time I will do it. It has taken two years to bring one painting but the taboo has been broken and it will be easier for someone else to do it,” he said. “The journey here adds meaning to the painting. It highlights issues of the freedom of movement and political agreement.” The painting will be on display for a month before returning to Eindhoven, but not everyone likes it. Fatima Abdul Karim, the project co-ordinator, said: “I don’t think it’s a nice painting but it is a dream come true to have it here. Everyone has a different opinion about what the painting means. “I overheard the security guards discussing it and they came to the conclusion that it was a woman cradling her child in time of war as she has one eye on the child and one eye on the surrounding danger.” Palestinian territories Middle East Pablo Picasso Museums Netherlands Israel Conal Urquhart guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 24, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.