The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has unveiled a new exhibition, The Face of Modern Life, which challenges traditional notions of portraiture. Featuring nearly 80 works from the museum's permanent collection, the show includes pieces by Pablo Picasso, Wifredo Lam, Max Beckmann, and Joan Miró, among others. Curator Stephanie D'Alessandro takes an expansive view, exploring how portraits can represent not just physical likeness but also memory, myth, and the artist's own presence.
Picasso's Iconic Stein Portrait
Visitors are greeted by Pablo Picasso's famous portrait of Gertrude Stein, a work that redefined portraiture of women and marked a turn toward Cubism. Stein herself wrote of the portrait: 'It is I, and it is the only reproduction of me which is always I.' During its creation, Picasso reportedly said, 'I can't see you any longer when I look,' and painted Stein's face from memory months later. This grappling with resemblance is a central theme of the exhibition.
Lam's Mythological Depiction
Another highlight is Wifredo Lam's Ídolo, a recent acquisition rooted in Santería, depicting the Yoruba goddess Oyá in a state of emergence between human and animal. D'Alessandro notes that the painting itself seems to be coming into being, with media dripping as if capturing transformation.
Abstract and Poetic Portraits
The exhibition also includes abstract works like Paul Klee's May Picture and Vasily Kandinsky's Improvisation 27 (Garden of Love II), which function as portraits of experience rather than individuals. Poetic pairings, such as Gertrude Stein's text alongside Picasso's work, further question the nature of resemblance. D'Alessandro emphasizes that portraiture is about human presence and the drive to connect, even in non-traditional forms.
The Face of Modern Life: Modern Portraits at The Met is now on display, offering a boisterous selection that reconnects the past with contemporary concerns.
