Students and teachers in Qatar will have the opportunity to take part in a series of workshops and educational programmes organised by Qatar Museums (QM) as part of the ‘Picasso-Giacometti’ exhibition, dedicated to two of the most important artists of the 20th century.
In a statement, QM Fire Station Artists in Residence Programme director Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Obaidly said such interactive programmes aim to engage and inspire school and university students and members of the community who visit the Fire Station in the next few months.
Some of the activities include training for teachers in a three-hour long session, which will enable them to conduct self-guided tours of the exhibition for students; and run workshops and equip teachers with materials to have post-visit discussions with students.
In addition, all schools will be invited to the exhibition and hands-on workshops at the Fire Station Education Studio, where students can create their own art based on the artworks from the show.
Besides the guided tours and art workshops with QM educators for families, the exhibition will also include four replicas of Giacometti’s works for visually impaired visitors to interact with and enjoy – a first for QM.
“This is an open invitation to all art lovers to embark on a journey of artistic and spiritual inspiration in this art space,” the senior QM official stressed. The Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and Alberto Giacometti  (1901-1966) show has been attracting a large number of residents and visitors since its opening on February 22 at the Fire Station’s Garage Gallery.
A first-of-its-kind in the Middle East, the exhibition presents a unique collection of more than 120 masterpieces that provides artists, art students, and the public a broader view of the artists’ characters and personality. “The exhibition reflects an important era in the history of art and showcases the work of two artists, whose innovations have inspired so many worldwide,” al-Obaidly noted in his preface on a self-guided handbook for visitors.
The show, a collaboration between QM, under the patronage of its chairperson, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the Musee national Picasso-Paris and the Fondation Giacometti, showcases the two artists’ early sculptures, paintings, sketches on newspapers and other materials, photographs, and interviews with the artists, among others.
The ‘Picasso-Giacometti’ exhibition, organised by the Fondation Giacometti and curated by its director, Catherine Grenier, was previously on show in Paris earlier this year at the Musee national Picasso-Paris. It will conclude on May 21.
“Both Picasso and Giacometti were born sons of artists and were exceptionally gifted at drawing at an early age,” Grenier said. “Both shared a fascination with the link between the living and the dead and the limits of representation in art.”