In every training process, artists learn from the masters; they copy the techniques, styles and works of their predecessors until they mature their own creative personality. This evolution necessarily involves imitating, repeating and interpreting the most representative pieces of art history as references. From there, the particular identity of the artist builds up, which is sometimes supported by previous works to offer an updated reading. This has happened with Duchamp, Modigliani, Damien Hirst, Goya, Bacon ... and Picasso himself.

Pablo Picasso, “Meninas”, 1957

Picasso used to say that "great artists copy, geniuses steal". This master of the 20th century also wanted to reinterpret some of the most iconic works of the history of painting and to do so he has sought inspiration in major European museums, such as the Prado or the Louvre. With his work, the author from Malaga adapted to the new times of modernism based on the classics.

Pablo Picasso, "Jacqueline con sombrero de paja", 1962

The Círculo de Bellas Artes hosts the exhibition "Picasso and the Museum" in which it explores this facet so little studied by the painter. Much has been written about the origin of Cubism and the imprint of Picasso in the universal history of painting, however, his work has not always been analysed from the perspective of his great influences.

Pablo Picasso, “Hombre con gorguera”, 1962

Since Picasso visited the Prado when he was 13 years old, the impact of these great works, which so much impressed him, can be traced in many of his compositions. Ingres, Manet, Velázquez, Courbet, Zurbarán, Delacroix, Rembrandt ... have left a mark, not always evident, in the author's imagination. Sometimes hidden among the angles of his cubic figures or hidden among the strokes of his sketches ... the inspiration has a lot of homage and imitation.

The exhibition is open until May 16th and completes with a program of guided tours and children's activities designed to understand better this unexplored aspect of Picasso’s work.

If visual arts arouse emotions in the viewer, and also gastronomy, at its finest, can cause a similar effect, the relationship between both "disciplines" is more than demonstrated.

Cheese is a fundamental piece in gastronomy, its diversity allows it to be part of gastronomy different moments, from starters to desserts, and that is why Art Madrid includes it in this year’s edition of the Fair from an ambitious place. Cheese is given this way a closest view to the creation of a work of art, both from the point of view of the time spent in its execution process and the almost personalized study dedicated to each piece during its elaboration.

Like a plastic artist, the Cheese Master Affineur executes a series of actions making each piece an exclusive and individualized element. This is what Madrid cheese factory QAVA de Quesos and its Master Afinador José Luis Martín achieve.

QAVA & MARTÍN AFINADOR is a new store concept: a unique space designed to taste, learn, promote and buy cheese in Madrid, in the heart of Retiro district."

José Luis Martín is a key piece in the QAVA cheese factory. He has been working in the cheese world for more than 30 years, providing training throughout the world, visiting cheese shops, consulting and advising on the design and implementation of one of the most emblematic cheese shops in Spain. The fact of knowing the producers personally, and even advising them on the manufacture and design of their products, allows him to select specific batches, at different stages of maturation, to complete the cheese ripening and then convert each piece into a unique product, different and with its own distinct character, the signature of the Cheese Master.

In the profile of the Master Martín Afinador experience and pure knowledge merge. Martín Afinador is an advisor and consultant for artisanal cheese factories and product design, and for the best-specialised stores in the country, director of Gourmetquesos, director and coordinator of the Championship of the Best Cheeses in Spain during nine editions, technical director and jury in national and international cheese competitions and tastings, collaborator of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Academy of Spanish Gastronomy, director and coordinator of the cheese section of the Repsol Guide to the Best Foods in Spain and trainer for hospitality schools and food centres teaching, among other activities.

Cheese ripening is a complex process that requires time and dedication, in addition to a developed use of the senses. The Cheese Master Affineur, as a specialist in the field, works in all cheese stages (varied and complex), controls all stages of raw material transformation, supervises the evolution and development of cheeses according to the characteristics of each one of them, verifies the quality and the state when the cheeses arrive at their cellars, checks their care and conservation, and; finally, he controls its packaging and the type of wrapping suitable for its best preservation.

In Qava de Quesos they have two Cheese Refining Cellars. In these "tuning caves" or refrigerated chambers designed in constant conditions of temperature, humidity and ventilation, "we take great care of the cheeses until they reach their optimum point of consumption". The work of refining involves placing the cheeses on wooden shelves, turning them over daily and/or washing them frequently, brushing them periodically, as well as other regular handlings.

Among the services offered by Qava de Quesos, we can find specific courses and workshops, events for groups and companies, and advice on shop design and ripening rooms.