Curator’s Corner: What Goes into Making an Exhibition?
Janet McLean, curator of Modern Art at the National Gallery of Ireland, discusses the process of curating the upcoming exhibition "Picasso: From the Studio," the first major Picasso show in Ireland since a student-led exhibition in 1969. That earlier exhibition, held by Trinity students in a library storage room, attracted 42,000 visitors and featured 97 works by Picasso. McLean explains that curation is about creating connections and a "conversation" between pieces, balancing narrative with practical constraints like light levels, copyright, and lender approvals. The new exhibition, with a sole lender—the Musée National Picasso-Paris—traces Picasso's life in France from 1913 to 1973, showcasing his evolution as an artist.
