You can’t cancel Picasso

In the sunlit courtyard of the Picasso Museum in Málaga, Bernard Ruiz-Picasso is telling me about his grandfather, the greatest artist of the 20th Century. ‘He’s very inspiring – a powerful artist and thinker,’ says Bernard. ‘He was super-cool, and also super tough.’

Not so long ago, such an uncontentious compliment would have seemed entirely unremarkable. Yet in today’s censorious climate, few things are so clear-cut. For a century, Picasso has been lauded – the finest draughtsman since Michelangelo – but now he’s a figure of fierce controversy. Fifty years since his death, could we be about to witness the cancellation of the man who personified modern art?

When Picasso died in 1973 at the grand old age of 91, the only controversial thing about him were his artworks. After several decades as the most famous artist on the planet, many art lovers still recoiled from his work.