Picasso under the (artistic) influence

Picasso versus Velazquez. Picasso versus Goya. It’s a show of dueling masters.

The unprecedented exhibit “Picasso: Tradition and Vanguard” went on view Tuesday at Spain’s Prado and Reina Sofia museums in Madrid. On show are more than 100 works by Pablo Picasso alongside the works of the 17th and 18th century masters who influenced him most, namely Diego Velazquez and Francisco de Goya.

The exhibit, which runs through Sept. 3, was organized to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the arrival of Picasso’s most famed work, “Guernica,” in Spain from the United States in 1981 following the country’s return to democracy after the decades-long Franco dictatorship.

“It’s not enough to describe it as a great exhibition,” a curator, Francisco Calvo Serraller, told reporters last week.

“It’s inconceivable, unheard of, a historic event which transcends art and demonstrates how the tragedies of war were reflected in Spain.”