Pablo Picasso paintings
In the early days of her ‘collector's career’, Helene initially purchased artworks on the recommendation of her advisor H.P. Bremmer or for personal reasons. Helene was a great admirer of Van Gogh and collected many paintings and drawings by the master. Later she felt the need to collect art for the general public. With this collection she sought, among other things, to visualise the development of modern art. Specifically, Helene wanted to show the public that two movements were constantly alternating: realism and idealism. Thus the work of a true idealist like Pablo Picasso became indispensable for her art collection. Various Picasso original paintings, drawings, sculptures and abstract artworks were acquired.
Vision of reality
During his career as an artist, Picasso is constantly observing reality. How Picasso subsequently views reality is reflected in his artworks. Moreover, the artist is always looking for new ways to create art. Under the motto 'I don't look but I find', he discovers the most inventive ways to produce art.
Pablo Picasso artwork a visitors’ favourite
Under the directorship of Evert van Straaten (1990–2012), the visitors' favourite Petite Chouette, Picasso's little owl, was acquired by the Kröller-Müller Museum. One of the most endearing Picasso pieces, this alert little creature looks almost improvised. The owl is composed of found objects. An earthenware bowl represents the body and the lid of a tin can serves as the head. The legs, wings and eyes are composed of nails, screws, nuts and bolts. The beak is made of parts of a pair of pliers. Moreover, all of this is held together with plaster.
Pablo Picasso paintings and Picasso drawings
There is almost no discernible consistent line in the style of Pablo Picasso paintings. The artist chose the style that suited his mood at the time. In this way, his mood found expression in art. From one moment to the next, Picasso could switch from his cubist paintings to drawings with abstract forms, such as the famous Picasso line drawing.
Nevertheless, some consistencies can be found in Picasso art pieces. The beginning of Picasso's career is known as the blue period. Pablo Picasso paintings were dark in colour and contained many cool tones. He was living in Paris at the time and had not yet achieved great success. In the following period, the artist's popularity increased. Picasso also began a relationship. The artist had a more positive outlook on life and this is reflected in his paintings. Pablo Picasso paintings acquired more frivolous colours and this period is therefore known as the pink period. In one of the last periods, we saw Picasso increasingly produce abstract art.
In addition to the Little Owl made of found objects, various Picasso portraits, line drawings and other abstract art by Picasso are on display at the Kröller-Müller Museum. Get an impression of the Picasso modern art collection via our online collection search feature.