Picasso Goes to Heaven 1973 - 1976

Red Grooms made this, Picasso Goes to Heaven, between '73 and '76, using his very own hands and paint. What do you see first? I see a floating, jubilant crowd of images rendered in watercolor – a party in pigment. Picasso himself is there, of course, looking a bit like a cartoon. I can just imagine Grooms conjuring this up, brush dancing, colors colliding. It feels like he’s channeling not just Picasso but a whole history of art. There's a real energy here, a kind of joyful chaos. Like one of those amazing works where you can tell the artist is really in the zone, pushing the paint around, letting things happen. It reminds me of a lot of different artists, all rolled into one. It’s like Grooms is having a conversation with the greats. It makes me want to grab a brush and join the party!