• The works that Pablo Picasso accumulated in his own studio throughout his life can be viewed from today at the La Moneda Palace in Santiago de Chile as part of the exhibition “Picasso: Erudite Hand, Wild Eye”.
• In tandem with Abertis, as on previous occasions with artists such as Dalí, Miró and Gaudí, the largest ever exhibition of works of the Malaga-born painter has been brought to South America.
• The exhibition was inaugurated yesterday by the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, at a ceremony also attended by the Minister of Culture, Ernesto Ottone; the mayor of Santiago de Chile, Felipe Alessandri; the CEO of Abertis Chile, Luis Miguel de Pablo; and Abertis’ Director of Institutional Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility, Sergi Loughney.

A number of the works that Pablo Picasso accumulated in his own studio throughout his life can be viewed from today in Santiago de Chile in the exhibition “Picasso: Erudite Hand, Wild Eye”. The show reaches Chile after being successfully staged in São Paulo and Río de Janeiro in partnership with Abertis.

The works, which can be viewed until the 5th March in the cultural centre beneath the La Moneda Palace, the seat of the President of the Chilean government, are from the Picasso Museum in Paris. The exhibition was inaugurated yesterday by the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, at a ceremony also attended by the Minister of Culture, Ernesto Ottone; the mayor of Santiago de Chile, Felipe Alessandri; the CEO of Abertis Chile, Luis Miguel de Pablo; and Abertis’ Director of Institutional Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility, Sergi Loughney.

The 135 original works by the Spanish artist are exhibited in chronological order and include 35 medium- and large-scale paintings, 41 drawings, 20 sculptures, 20 engravings and 19 photographs which span the various stages in his prolific career.

The exhibition also covers Picasso’s relationship with the landmark events of the 20th century, with a particular focus on the creation process for “Guernica” and the artists reluctance to continue working in a Paris occupied by Germans.

This is why a number of the photographs taken by the French artist Dora Maar of the creation process for “Guernica” and the black and white painting “Weeping Woman”, which represents the pain caused by the atrocities of war, have also travelled to Chile.

Abertis’ and the Abertis Foundation’s commitment to culture

Abertis, via the Abertis Foundation and its subsidiaries, has sponsored a number of important cultural exhibitions in recent years. These include the major Dalí retrospective, which broke visitor records in the cities where it was shown (namely Paris, Madrid, Río de Janeiro and São Paulo). This was the first Salvador Dalí retrospective to make the journey to Latin America and the most visited in the artist’s history.

In 2015, Abertis, via its French subsidiary Sanef, was the lead sponsor of the retrospective of the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez at the Grand Palais de Paris which became the cultural event of the year with an average of 5000 visitors daily. Also in 2015, the Group brought the work of Joan Miró to the cities of São Paulo and Florianópolis, an exhibition that broke records in the latter city in the state of Santa Caterina.

Another historic milestone in Abertis’ association with the art world was achieved in 2007, when the company acquired through transfer Pablo Picasso’s 1937 work Woman in Hat and Fur Collar (Marie-Thérèse Walter). This oil painting is currently on display at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona.

These partnerships provide further evidence of the commitment of Abertis and the Abertis Foundation to culture, collaborating with the most important cultural institutions of the countries where the Group is present with the aim of bringing culture to the general public and supporting public administrations in this endeavour. Cultural sponsorship is at the heart of Abertis’ Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility Plan, in which the company regards culture as an asset that enriches individuals and enhances life quality.