France tackled the fractious legacy of Pablo Picasso on two fronts Tuesday, firing the director of the shuttered museum dedicated to the artist and recommending state protection for the studio where he painted “Guernica,” reports The Washington Post.
The reopening of the museum, closed for the past five years for renovations, has been pushed back until September. France’s Culture Ministry said Anne Baldassari, who led the renovations and has been head of the museum for a decade, was dismissed because of the need to “reopen under the best conditions, protect the employees and restore confidence between the museum and its partners.”
Claude Picasso, the painter’s son, spoke out this month to denounce delays in reopening the museum, one of the premier art attractions in Paris.
The 52-million-euro (about $72-million) renovation of the Hotel de Sale, in the celebrated Marais district, is set to double the possible number of visitors and allow for the presentation of 400 artworks in 37 rooms, the ministry said.
Speaking to Le Figaro earlier this month, Claude Picasso said Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti had told him that troubles getting security guards in place, as required under French regulations, were behind the delay. Picasso said he had the impression France “doesn’t care” about his father.
Filippetti’s ministry then lashed out in a statement at “erroneous” media reports about the delay, and called on “everyone to get past personal interests” and be enthusiastic about the upcoming reopening.
Read more of this Associated Press report published by The Washington Post.