Published to accompany a major exhibition at M+, Hong Kong, this catalogue presents over sixty masterpieces by Picasso alongside works by Asian and Asian diaspora artists selected from the M+ Collections.

Why is Pablo Picasso so famous around the world, how does Picasso - the quintessential modern artist of the 20th century, but undoubtedly European - relate to the work of contemporary artists from other parts of the world, such as Asia, and what do Picasso and his legacy mean in a time and place so far removed from his own?

These are some of the fundamental questions explored by Picasso for Asia, the book that accompanies the major exhibition at M+, Hong Kong. At its core are two intertwining narratives. The first interprets Picasso's life and artistic practice through four archetypes: the creative genius, the outsider who observes from outside, the accomplished magician and the tirelessly curious student of art history. The second presents a reinterpretation of his work, placing it in dialogue with creations by Asian artists, thus revealing what Picasso's art can teach us about contemporary artistic practice, and vice versa.

A visual timeline shows how Asian art and its artists migrated to Europe during Picasso's lifetime and became an inescapable part of his cultural context, while describing how Picasso was received in Asia from the 1910s to the end of the 20th century.

A bold exploration of the complex relationships between origin and reception, invention and adaptation, West and East, this book enriches the discourse on transnational Asian contemporary art and visual culture, while contributing to the growing critical literature on global art history.

Publisher: Thames and Hudson