Charlotte's Mint Museum will be one of three U.S. museums to host a traveling exhibit of paintings by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso in two years — but first it's asking for help paying for the showcase.
City Manager Marcus Jones told Charlotte City Council on Monday night that the Mint will ask the city and Mecklenburg County for a combined $500,000 to help pay for the exhibit.
"It's a rare opportunity for the city to host a major international exhibition of Picasso," Jones said. "It's set to have a very limited U.S. tour."
The show, titled "Pablo Picasso: Out of Bounds," is expected to be at the Mint Museum's Uptown location from February to May 2023.
The show is organized by the American Federation of Arts, which says it's the first exhibit to explore Picasso's love of landscape painting. It will include works from throughout his career. Picasso died in 1973 and is considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
Jones said Mint CEO Todd Herman is expected to make his pitch to City Council and county commissioners at future meetings.
Charlotte will be the first of the three American cities to host the show. After closing here, it will move to the Cincinnati Art Museum from June to October 2023 and the Denver Art Museum from November 2023 to March 2024
The show is curated by Laurence Madeline, chief curator for French National Heritage and former curator at the Picasso Museum in Paris.