14/09/2026
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Connecting Images: A Journey Through the History of Western Art
Two exhibitions are currently on view at the National Art Center, Tokyo, ” Picasso, through the Eyes of Paul Smith” and ” Masterpieces of the Renaissance from the Musée du Louvre”.
Coincidentally, both exhibitions include works that vividly demonstrate how images have been passed down and connected throughout the history of Western art. ✨
First, the work from the Musée du Louvre.
Marcantonio Raimondi, after Raffaello Sanzio, known as Raphael, The Judgment of Paris, Circa 1513-1518
Sixteenth-century engraver and printmaker Marcantonio Raimondi created prints based on drawings by Raphael, and these images frequently served as models for the decoration of Italian pottery known as maiolica.
Édouard Manet, the 19th-century French painter’s groundbreaking masterpiece "Lunch on the Grass" (1863), also references this work.
Printmaking allowed multiple copies of a work to be made from a single master plate, and many artists used prints to distribute their compositions to a wider audience.
Manet's "Lunch on the Grass", inspired by Raimondi's The Judgment of Paris, also influenced Picasso.
The exhibition, “Picasso, through the Eyes of Paul Smith” has a section titled “"Lunch on the Grass"”.
In the 1950s, Picasso reinterpreted Manet's "Lunch on the Grass", creating a series including 27 paintings and around 140 drawings.
Some of Picasso's works depict the male figure n**e, others increase the number of figures, and still others explore the composition as sculpture.
These works show how Picasso explored a variety of artistic expressions based on "Lunch on the Grass".
We hope you've enjoyed exploring over 400 years of Western art history.
These two works can be seen at the National Art Center, Tokyo, only until September 21!
2: Marcantonio Raimondi, after Raffaello Sanzio, known as Raphael, The Judgment of Paris, Circa 1513-1518(detail)
3-5: Installation view of the exhibition “Picasso, through the Eyes of Paul Smith,” The National Art Center, Tokyo, 2026 / Photo: Shu Nakagawa
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