KEY POINTS:
You're in charge of Picasso's personal art collection, a collection that reflects not only his tastes but also what was going on in his mind.
You are flicking through a world atlas looking for the ideal city to host the collection's first trip outside Europe. The collection contains works by a who's who of the most important artistic movements from the 17th century through to the 20th, as well as the ethnic sculptures and masks which Picasso cited as critical to his personal evolution. In short, it's priceless.
So where do you send it? Brisbane. Australians are a competitive breed and Queenslanders fancy themselves as the guys on the rise. The money isn't so much dropping from trees as popping up from the ground with the mining industry going gangbusters. The income generated has helped fund the development of a still-growing arts precinct.
Brisbane's beautiful and enormous Gallery of Modern Art secured an exclusive deal last year on the massive Andy Warhol collection which attracted 232,000 visitors. This year it hopes to top that effort with the Picasso show.
Are they skiting about it? Hell yeah, even if it took an indemnity guarantee from central government to secure the deal. Their gala opening night at GoMA a couple of weeks ago was full of mutual backpatting and jokes about beating their southern neighbours. Then, once the toasting was over, they took time out for a look at the art.
What they have got is a jawdropper spread over about 200 works divided into seven themes, all of which come with a small explanatory note and in some cases a photograph showing where it sat in Picasso's home, whether pride of place in his studio or stacked away and forgotten in a corner.
If your eyes aren't soaking up a Matisse, it's a Renoir, or a Cezanne, or a Rousseau, or one of Picasso's own works. There are also works by Modigliani, Braque, Gauguin, Degas, Miro, Corot, and many more. The styles range from cubist to erotic and portraiture to surreal - Picasso kept several Dali pieces despite cutting ties over the latter's enthusiasm for the fascist General Franco.
There are tales attached to many of his purchases. Some remain mysterious while others were the result of the swapping of works between mutually, if not always especially friendly, respected contemporaries.
These reflect an artistic arms race where egos and talents challenged each other to keep up or give up. Picasso & His Collection runs at GoMA until September 14.
