Picasso behind the Iron Curtain: From the History of the Postwar Reception of Pablo Picasso in East-Central Europe

In postliberation Paris, Picasso became the symbol of regained freedom. The artist owed much of his popularity among the Parisians to the fact that he refused to emigrate when many French modernists had fled to America. ¹ Picasso’s relationship with France reached its high point in the special exhibition accompanying the Salon d’Automne in 1944, known as the Liberation Salon, which was usually reserved for French artists. ² Last but not least, he joined the French Communist Party—this was announced the day before the opening of the salon and attracted the attention of the world’s media. ³