Picasso masterpieces join modern Asian artworks in a conversation of creativity at M+ in Hong Kong

Picasso. One of those historical figures so famous they fly solo in the name game.

But who, or what, is Picasso, really? An umbrella or drinks coaster? T-shirt, necklace or bobblehead? Shopping bag or small family car?

The commodification of the artistically prominent demands they be reduced to a token of modern life – an adornment, an implement, an everyday essential, even something in which to drive around – putting them everywhere and nowhere all at once. The more we see the signature “Picasso” the less we look at or think about his art, or consider the man himself.

The contradictions barring the way to a fundamental understanding of Pablo Picasso are tricky, even for the experts, not least because the artist gave so few interviews. And because many ideas and opinions glibly attributed to him might not have been his at all.

“It’s so confusing, all the time,” admits François Dareau, MnPP research fellow and co-curator of the M+ exhibition. “We have only a few recordings of Picasso’s voice. But when you see all the quotes in books and articles, they are so well written it means that everything was rewritten by many other people. It’s very difficult to approach the real man behind the image. You don’t recognise his real voice.”