Seirer_171228_1010575.jpgMask, Reflections, Shadows The mysteries of a mask are amplified by reflections and shadows at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, where a show explaining a prominent influence in the artwork of Pablo Picasso is drawing large crowds. This mask is among many non-Western works displayed along with Picasso paintings and sculptures; together, they help viewers connect the artist with his sources of inspiration. In 1907, at the age of 25, Picasso became mesmerized with the “exotic” art he found at the Ethnographic Museum of the Trocadero in Paris. At left is a reflection of a video of that museum, which presented its treasures in a rather jumbled fashion. Picasso returned many times and also began a lifelong pursuit of collecting African, Oceanic and Meso-American artifacts. The exhibit, "Through the Eyes of Picasso," was first seen in Paris last year before coming to the Nelson, which is its only American venue. It will be on display here through April 8.

The mysteries of a mask are amplified by reflections and shadows at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, where a show explaining a prominent influence in the artwork of Pablo Picasso is drawing large crowds. This mask is among many non-Western works displayed along with Picasso paintings and sculptures; together, they help viewers connect the artist with his sources of inspiration. In 1907, at the age of 25, Picasso became mesmerized with the “exotic” art he found at the Ethnographic Museum of the Trocadero in Paris. At left is a reflection of a video of that museum, which presented its treasures in a rather jumbled fashion. Picasso returned many times and also began a lifelong pursuit of collecting African, Oceanic and Meso-American artifacts. The exhibit, "Through the Eyes of Picasso," was first seen in Paris last year before coming to the Nelson, which is its only American venue. It will be on display here through April 8.