Explore Picasso's Dialogue with the Old Masters at VBMA Lecture

The Vero Beach Museum of Art (VBMA) invites art enthusiasts to delve deeper into Pablo Picasso's artistic legacy with an illuminating lecture by renowned art historian Richard P. Townsend on Saturday, November 1, 2025.

Event Details

Picasso and the Masters…and Dora Maar Too
Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 11 a.m.
Leonhardt Auditorium, VBMA

Tickets: $12 for VBMA Members | $15 for non-members
Space is limited; pre-registration required. Tickets include gallery admission, arrive early to view the exhibition.

What to Expect

Townsend's lecture will explore one of the most significant themes in Picasso's career: his lifelong ambition to join the ranks of history's greatest artists. The talk focuses on Picasso's late linocuts featured in Picasso and the Progressive Proof, examining how the Spanish master engaged in artistic dialogue with titans like Titian, Cranach, and Goya.

"That he in effect accomplished this during his lifetime is a tribute to his ambition, drive and that quality that defines him as truly great, the innate sense of the received artistic tradition to which he was heir," notes the exhibition description.

Unveiling New Research on Dora Maar

In an exciting addition to the program, Townsend will present previously unknown and unpublished drawings by Dora Maar, Picasso's lover and a leading Surrealist artist in her own right. These newly discovered works reveal that Maar, like Picasso, was drawn to the academic tradition. Even while photographically documenting the creation of Picasso's modernist masterpiece Guernica, she returned to painting and drawing, creating studies after Raphael, Dürer, Vermeer, and Velázquez.

The lecture promises to reveal "the inexorable pull of the Old Masters on two of the most unforgettable icons of Modern art."

About the Speaker

Richard P. Townsend is President of Townsend Art Advisory LLC and a veteran museum director, curator, and art historian. He has led major institutions across the country and organized landmark exhibitions spanning from Renaissance masters to contemporary art. His expertise has been featured in prestigious publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Chicago Tribune, and he has appeared on several broadcast media outlets. Townsend Art Advisory LLC organized Picasso and the Progressive Proof.

Part of VBMA's Public Programs

This lecture is part of the VBMA's ongoing series of public programs designed to complement and enhance the exhibitions on view, offering visitors deeper insights into the artistic masterpieces displayed in the galleries.

For tickets and registration information, visit the Website (CLICK HERE)

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Ava Cook

Community Manager at Vero Vine

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My name is Ava Cook and I am a Freshman at Florida Southern College in Lakeland FL. I am currently a B.F.A musical theatre major with a minor in Business Administration. I love reading, singing, acting, dancing, and writing. My favorite part about Vero Beach and Indian River County as a whole is how close the community is. Vero Vine is important to me as it allows me to do my part it bringing the community together also, sharing events, small businesses, and other local happenings. If you have any questions or any recommendations for me, my email is always open [email protected].