Au bon marche 1913

This collage was made by Pablo Picasso, using paper and other bits and bobs. It's all about how Picasso, and us, put things together to make sense of the world. Look at how he's layered bits of printed paper, like he’s building a wall, or maybe a shop front? The textures are amazing, some rough, some smooth. There's a kind of push and pull between the flat surface of the paper and the illusion of depth, which is so characteristic of Picasso. See the words "Au Bon Marche" – which is French for "the good market." It's like he's inviting us into a world of signs and symbols. The simple line drawing, perched precariously on the right hand side is like a wobbly balancing act. So much in the piece is about the interplay between surface and depth, the real and the represented. This makes me think of Kurt Schwitters, who also loved to build worlds out of fragments. Art isn't about answers, it’s about the questions we ask.