Imagine Picasso Makes U.S. Debut on February 9 at San Francisco's Skylight at The Armory

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Imagine Picasso, the largest-of-its-kind immersive, multimedia experience invites you to step into the world of Picasso in a way that has never been done before ? bringing more than 200 works together in one place at one time. Making its U.S. premiere on February 9, this unique experience will activate the iconic Skylight at The Armory at 1800 Mission Street, where San Francisco locals and visitors alike, from fine art aficionados or those experiencing Picasso for the first time, will embark on a journey through the revolutionary career of modern art master, Pablo Picasso. Tickets for the very limited eight-week run show are on sale and can be purchased here.

Using the groundbreaking, multi-projection techniques of Image Totale©, San Francisco's Imagine Picasso show will fill the spacious Skylight at The Armory's 40,000-square-foot venue and vaulted 80-foot ceilings with hundreds of Picasso masterpieces projected onto origami structures ? inspired by Picasso's late work ? standing as tall as 26 feet. Guests will enjoy a multi-phased, fully-immersive experience that offers a unique look into Picasso's revolutionary career and its impact ? from the Bleu and Rose periods to his masterpieces in the cubism and surrealism movements ? with educational moments, thoughtful scenography, and tasteful music pairings that bring pieces to life.

Conceptualized by Annabelle Mauger and Julien Baron, pioneers of immersive, multi-projection experiences around the world, Imagine Picasso was created to offer a new and modern perspective on Picasso's unparalleled work. With more than 200 Picasso works ? many of which hail from private collections and prestigious museum collections around the world ? together in one place at one time, this immersive experience provides unmatched access and unprecedented access to his decades-long career.

"We created this exhibition so guests can step into Picasso's paintings through a dialogue of detail and depth," said Annabelle Mauger, Creator of Imagine Picasso and the original creator of the first immersive Van Gogh exhibition. "It's important that people of all ages, backgrounds and artistic knowledge have the same opportunity to experience his works. Immersive exhibitions open the door for younger generations to celebrate his work, allowing Picasso's legacy and influence on the arts to live on."

"It's very interesting for the visitors to get Pablo Picasso in a new way," said Olivier Widmaier Picasso, grandson of Pablo Picasso. "I think this exhibition would have pleased my grandfather a lot because he was, above all, a man of freedom."

Building on the success of the original Imagine Picasso exhibitions, the San Francisco iteration will include a new introductory experience developed by the award-winning experience design studio, Local Projects. Entitled "The Presence of Genius," the experience sums up Picasso as a singular individual whose genius emanated from his studio and changed the world. Visitors walk through animated historic images and quotes that celebrate his impact, journeying towards an intimate visitation with Picasso in his studio.

"Picasso's artistry reached far beyond the works of art themselves, but are rooted in his incredible artistic expressions," said Jake Barton, Creative Director and Founder of Local Projects. "We wanted visitors to directly experience the dynamism of his lived presence, and deepen their understanding of the diverse chapters of Picasso's storied career. Amongst a century of revolutions, he was a revolutionary, impacting artists, art-lovers, and the world itself."

In addition to Mauger and Barton, the creative team behind Imagine Picasso includes work from renowned Architect Rudy Ricciotti and Curator and Art Historian Androula Michael. The exhibition is produced by France-based Encore Productions, a Fimalac Entertainment Group Company, and produced and promoted by S2BN Entertainment. It is presented in San Francisco by Madeira and Partners.

The exhibition launches on Wednesday, February 9, 2022 and will run for a limited time through March 27, 2022. Tickets start at $39.99 for adults. Children five and under are free. Discounts apply for educational and large groups.

Imagine Picasso will adhere to all CDC and city COVID-19 protocols throughout the duration of the exhibition while operating at a reduced capacity. Proof of vaccination is required for entry and masks are mandatory at all times for visitors ages two and older. Due to the design and expansive nature of Imagine Picasso, guests can safely experience and freely explore the multimedia art exhibition while maintaining physical distance.

About Imagine Picasso
Imagine Picasso is the first-of-its-kind immersive art exhibition that leads guests on a journey through the revolutionary career of modern art master, Pablo Picasso. Offering a new and modern perspective of Picasso's unparalleled work. the experience brings more than 200 Picasso works together in one place at one time using dynamic, multi-projection techniques of Image Totale©. Imagine Picasso was created by Annabelle Mauger and Julien Baron in collaboration with Art Historian Androula Michael and one of the leading figures of the new French architecture movement, Rudy Ricciotti. The team behind Imagine Picasso works directly with the Picasso Estate to ensure the experience meets their high standards.

Imagine Picasso first debuted in Lyon, France in 2019, followed by Quebec, Canada and Vancouver, Canada. The team is bringing the show to San Francisco as the U.S. premiere on February 9, 2022 for a limited time. The exhibition will make its next appearance in Atlanta, Georgia on March 9, 2022.

French filmmaker Albert Plécy developed the Image Totale© technique through years of research and work in the gigantic abandoned quarries of Baux-de-Provence to create his Cathédrale d'images. Annabelle Mauger worked directly with Plecy and is one of the pioneers of immersive presentation. Plécy and Mauger transformed the notion of a passive viewer, seated in an armchair staring at images on a screen, to that of an active spectator, immersed in a universe of images where they are completely free to evolve and explore in their own way. Mauger and Baron continued to innovate incorporating new technologies to create Imagine Picasso.

About Encore Productions, a Fimalac Entertainment Group Company
After promoting and working with artists including Bob Marley, The Police, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Supertramp, and Sting, Pascal Bernardin created Encore Productions in 1987, focusing on family-oriented shows such as Disney on Ice, Mamma Mia, and The Walking Dinosaurs. After joining the Fimalac Entertainment group in 2014, Encore continues to present high quality international expositions such as The Titanic, The Art of The Brick, Jurassic World, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter The Exhibition.

Since 2017, Encore Productions has focused on the production of immersive exhibitions, opening Imagine Van Gogh at La Grande Halle de La Villette in Paris in 2017 and then Imagine Picasso in Lyon in 2019. In 2019, Encore became the first company to import immersive exhibitions from Europe to North America with the opening of Imagine Van Gogh at the Arsenal Contemporary Art in Montreal, followed by Québec, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. Imagine Van Gogh has recently started its US tour in Boston and just announced the opening of the exhibition in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in February 2022 while continuing its Canadian tour. Imagine Picasso made his North American premiere in Québec in June 2021, followed by a successful run in Vancouver.

About S2BN Entertainment
S2BN Entertainment is a diversified live entertainment company, founded by legendary promoter and producer Michael Cohl whose career spans over 45 years as a producer and promoter for iconic entertainers, having worked with over 150 of the world's most recognized artists including Barbra Streisand, Oprah Winfrey, David Gilmour, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, U2, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra and many more. Michael's strategies developed over decades are credited with revolutionizing the touring industry worldwide. Additionally, he's had significant experience in the exhibition world dating back to the original King Tut tour decades ago through Bodies: The Exhibition.

S2BN Entertainment is currently developing, producing, and promoting over a dozen properties and entertainers from concerts to musicals and theatre to immersive exhibitions. Some highlights include a Genesis tour, The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains, Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell: The Musical. Cohl recently joined forces with CTS Eventim giving him access to one of the strongest global networks of promoters and venues.

About Local Projects
Local Projects is a multi-disciplinary design studio with 20 years of experience in culture, educational, and corporate experience design. The firm is best known for technologically advanced work that drives emotional engagement. Located in NYC, they collaborate with a wide range of clients regionally and internationally, utilizing our unique capabilities and creative process to produce world-class projects in the field of exhibition design, experience design, and media, and have won every major award including the National Design Awards, Fast Company Design Studio of the Year, and the Gold Lion at Cannes.

Their numerous award-winning projects include the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center (winner of Fast Company's Best Design in North America Award); the Planet Word Museum of Language; the Hyde Park Barracks Museum (winner of Fast Company's Enduring Impact Award); Gallery One at the Cleveland Museum of Art (winner of the National Design Award); and the core exhibition for the Museum of the City of New York (winner of the Overall Excellence in Exhibitions from the American Alliance of Museums).

About Skylight
Skylight is a placemaking and venue development firm for unique and significant real estate.

Skylight identifies and transforms underutilized properties into flexible canvases for best in class brands in fashion, art, media, and technology. Founded in the wake of the 2008 recession, Skylight was born to provide creative, revenue-generating solutions to challenged real estate. With a portfolio spanning NY, LA, SF, Chicago, Detroit & Ontario, Skylight continues to provide proof of concept for property owners and brand partners alike by creating the foundations for the most innovative experiences and events.

Over the last decade, Skylight's marquee moments include: the revitalization of NYC's iconic Bleecker Street corridor and developing the event program on The High Line; connecting Virgil Abloh and his culture shifting interactive Nike Off-Campus experience to its home at 23 Wall Street, JP Morgan's former residence; relocating New York Fashion Week from the tents at Lincoln Center to downtown homes at Skylight Moynihan Station and Skylight Clarkson Square, a move which paved the way for redevelopment of the underutilized properties ? Moynihan is now part of the $3B Penn District redevelopment and Clarkson is Google's newest NYC campus; activation of Netflix's first sold-out, covid-friendly "drive-into" Stranger Things experience at ROW DTLA, a former train terminal and 100 year old produce market; Hermès bicoastal performances at Skylight on Vesey in NYC and Skylight at The Armory in SF; and the creation of key filming locations for runaway streaming hits like Handmaid's Tale and Star Trek at former industrial locations, including Skylight Steelworks, an 800 acre active steel manufacturing plant, and the Power Plant at Redondo Beach.

Media Contact

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SOURCE Imagine Picasso