Mérida, the vibrant capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, will be filled with artistic and cultural events this weekend for La Noche Blanca. This special “White Night,” inspired by an initiative that originated in Paris, France, has been bringing various cultural and artistic events to the streets, galleries and museums of Mérida for the past 6 years.
Since previous editions of La Noche Blanca have brought as many as 50,000 people to Mérida, this year, La Víspera de la Noche Blanca (White Night Eve) has been created to extend the activities throughout the weekend.
According to the city’s Director of Culture, Irving Berlin Villafaña, the main attraction of this year’s event will be an exhibition of more than 100 unreleased art works by Pablo Picasso, which will open on Friday, December 13 at the Olimpo Cultural Center, where it will remain on display until March 2020.
Entitled “Picasso, Genius of the Arts,” the exhibition portrays the evolution of this celebrated artist in a period ranging from 1918 to 1957. Never before seen by the general public, the works on display were procured from various private collections in Europe.
“In this collection you can see how his style evolved from ink and pencil sketches to different painting techniques and use of colors, to etchings and lithographic works to the cubism paintings that made Picasso one of the greatest and most important plastic artists of all time,” Berlin Villafaña said.
The exhibition, which will be displayed in at least four rooms of the Olimpo Cultural Center, includes the “Tricornio” collection, which consists of 33 works in burin techniques, calotypes and etchings he created between 1918 and 1920.
“We believe that it is a great opportunity to learn more about the work of this genius, and we believe that people will respond very well, because the Picasso exhibit we had on display in 2009 attracted many people to the Olimpo Cultural Center,” said the official.
In addition to the main attraction, some 750 local, national and foreign artists will participate in this extended edition of La Noche Blanca, with artistic and cultural activities taking place all weekend in just over 100 locations throughout the city, including 48 galleries and 28 museums in its historic center.
Source: Informate