From Spain to New York, the PICASSO TO WARHOL: FOURTEEN MODERN MASTERS Film Festival will transport you back to the lives of the modern masters. Join us for a Festival of entertainment, food, films and APPRECIATING talks! 

Boasting a Gala Opening on Wednesday 6 June in celebration of  Picasso, and a themed Closing Party in honour of Warhol in November, both on The Concourse; this season is accentuated by Duchamp in August and Bourgeois in September! 

Prepurchase a Festival Pass for all four events and save!

Eminently qualified and entertaining quest speakers will highlight the context and works featured in the 'Great Collections of the World' exhibition, Picasso to Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters from The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

With sumptuous themed food and refreshments by our generous sponsors Comestibles and Jane Brook Wines, this Festival promises to be the highlight of the Friends calendar this year, so book early!

CLICK HERE for a Festival Pass and save!

Celebrate Picasso's contribution to the art world with a Spanish extravaganza of dance, music and tapas in the main concourse of the Gallery!  Thrill to the machine gun footwork of flamenco dancers accompanied by Spanish quitarist, from the acclaimed Danza Viva Spanish Dance Company, of recent Octagon Theatre success.

Dr Stefano Carboni, Director of the Gallery, will open the Festival, his APPRECIATING talk will discuss the works of Picasso, and introduce the first of the Festival films, Picasso and Braque go to the Movies.

Born at the same time as cinema itself and both avid cinephiles, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque are creators of the Cubist movement and pioneers in the world of modern art.  This film examines the possible aesthetic links between the advent of the cinema and Cubism. Discover the genesis of an artistic revolution.

Born in 1887 in France, Marcel Duchamp - painter, sculptor and author - was associated with Cubism, Dadaism, and Surrealism, though he avoided strict alliances.  His most famous work, Nude Descending a Staircase No 2, caused a furore at New York City's famous Armory Show in 1913.

Characterised by humour, and a wide variety of media; his legacy includes the insight that art can be about ideas instead of objects, a revolutionary notion that resonates with artists  today.  He pioneered an artistic innovation of 20th century: "Readymades" demonstrating his profound contempt for the middle class conception of art.

APPRECIATING guest speaker, Robert Cook, the Gallery's Curator of Modern and Contemporary Photography and Design, will talk on the works of Marcel Duchamp in the Exhibition.

Louise Bourgeois has for six decades been an important and influential figure in the world of modern art.  In 1982, at the age of 71, she became the first woman to be honoured with a major restrospective at New York's Museum of Modern Art. 

Her creative process is on full display in this documentary,  featuring the artist in her studio and with her intallations, shedding light on her intentions and inspirations.  Bourgeois reveals her life and work, imbued with her ongoing obsession with the mysteries of childhood.

Perhaps best known for her series of massive spider structures that have been installed around the world.  Filmed with unprecedented access to the artist between 1993 and 2007, Louise Bourgeois:  The Spider, the Mistress and the Tangerine is a comprehensive examination of the creative process.

Dr Anne Schilo will present the fascinating APPRECIATING talk on the works of Louise Bourgeois.

Join us for the Film Festival Closing Party on the Concourse! In honour of the Pop Art icon Andy Warhol, enjoy entertainment, food and refreshments with a unique United States of American flavour.

Alan Dodge AM, former Director of the Gallery will deliver the final APPRECIATING talk of the 2012 Festival, helping us decode Warhol's works in the Exhibition, followed by the film Ten Lizes.

Ten identical faces printed in black, over two rows, on canvas 5.65 metres long and 2 metres high.  Are the faces really identical?  With subtle revelations, the observer gradually notices a myriad of small differences, minor variations and inconsistencies.

Warhol created this image from a photo of actress Elizabeth Taylor, repeating it ten times using silkscreen printing techniques.  Why did he choose her image as his subject and repetition as his theme? Working in New York at the epicentre of the Pop Art movement, Ten Lizes breaks from the traditional art of portraiture. Following a sold out event with Alan Dodge's APPRECIATING talk last year, don't miss the finale of the 2012 Film Festival! 

A big thank you to our generous sponsors and partners:

Comestibles for their sumptuous catering and service, and Jane Brook Wines for their delightful wines, The Museum of Modern Art, New York for use of their images and inaugural presence in Western Australia, and The Art Gallery of WA for our enduring partnership.

This exhibition is organised by The Museum of Modern Art, New York and The Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth.