A walk through the exhibition "Picasso and the golden years of the Côte d'Azur" by Edward Quinn.

On a stroll near the city's bullring, I came across some posters on the walls of the square telling of an exhibition about the life of Picasso.

The doors were open, I hadn't heard anything about this exhibition, so when I asked I found out that it was free and that I could visit it from Tuesday to Sunday and that it is organised by the Cultural Centre of La Malagueta belonging to the city of Malaga.

I thought to myself why not go in right now and see what it was all about, besides I had not visited the inside of the bullring.

Although I could not enter the centre of the square, I could see here and there while looking at the exhibition.

It consisted of photographs, mostly in black and white, very few in colour, of different moments in Pablo Picasso's life.

From his fas as a painter and sculptor, to moments of everyday life, as in the brightest moments of his existence.

The photographs were taken by Edward Quinn, who was one of the photographers who had privileged access to the painter during the last two decades of his life.

They met in the south of France in 1951, during the opening of a ceramics exhibition. It was there that Edward, at the end of the exhibition, asked the painter for permission to photograph him and his children. Picasso agreed and liked the photographs very much.

This was to be the beginning of a friendship between the two, so that Picasso allowed Edward to take photographs of his studio and little by little Pablo Picasso placed a lot of trust in the photographer.

This led to Edward being able to take photographs of the painter's private domain, to which no other photographer had ever had access before.

This went on for two decades until Picasso's death. This left a legacy of over 10,000 photographs, both of his life as an artist and of his private life.

These are unpublished photographs of the painter's private and public life, in his various moments as an artist, painter and sculptor, in his studio, studios and more.

Edward took photographs while Picasso was resting, or at his meetings with friends, parties or at bullfights when the painter went to see them. Photographs when he had holidays or went on trips with his pets, for example.

Edward Quinn was present at all times in those years of Picasso's life. Especially beautiful are the photographs where Pablo is with his children teaching them how to draw.

Edward has shown different facets of the great artist and in this exhibition I was able to appreciate something I didn't know before, it made me admire the painter's life even more.

The last time Edward visited Picasso was in 1972, he never saw him again, but he is still alive in these photos.

Picasso at that time was 91 years old and he kept his interest, curiosity and vitality alive, Edward said.

That day they talked a lot about different subjects and were both in a very good mood.

After that visit they only spoke on the phone and it was days before Picasso's death. Picasso no longer wanted to be photographed and so Edward realised that something was wrong.

Picasso died on 8 April 1973, but this legacy, a great legacy, has remained to be remembered forever.

I live in the city where Picasso was born and that alone fills me with emotion. Seeing this great exhibition of photographs of his life was very pleasing, a unique walk.

There is no other like this moment that I have lived, stopping in every detail, expression of faces and activities of the painter.

I hope you enjoyed and were as moved as I was to see these photographs, thank you for joining me on this walk. Best regards to all of you and see you next time.

Amonet.

All photographs are my own.