Picasso and His Barber
In Vallauris, a small town in the South of France, a black limousine was parked outside a ____.
From inside the car, Pablo ____ impatiently yelled out.
“Please, ____, hurry up. We’ll be late for dinner.”
A curious crowd gathered around the ____, wondering who had the nerve to make the legendary artist wait.
A few ____ later, Eugenio Arias, a man with a cheerful smile, emerged from his modest shop.
____ go,” he said as he climbed into the limousine.
Despite the fact that Picasso was twenty-eight years older than Arias, the two had ____ close friends for twenty years.
Let’s go back to that summer afternoon when their ____ across generations began.
In 1947, Picasso left the crowded city of Paris and moved to the ____ rural town of Vallauris.
As a foreigner, he often desperately longed for familiar faces from his home ____, Spain.
One ____, a friend told him about a local barber from Spain named Arias.
But for ____, it was not easy to visit the barbershop because he had a belief that anyone who possessed his hair or nails would have control over him.
Too superstitious to let other people cut his hair, he normally chose to ____ his own hair.
Eventually, Picasso gathered his courage and entered ____ barbershop because he was so eager to meet his fellow countryman.
Arias recognized the famous artist right away, but he treated Picasso like an ____ customer.
____ him to a chair, Arias warmly welcomed Picasso in Spanish.
Despite the fact that their conversation was ____ that day, Picasso was deeply impressed by Arias’s direct and simple manner of speech.
He sensed that Arias was a trustworthy individual with a great sense of humor ____ put people at ease.
Picasso’s visits to Arias’s
Picasso’s visits to Arias’s barbershop became somewhat ____ after that.
Whenever he visited, the other customers let him be ____ first.
This ____ made Picasso feel uncomfortable because it caused other people to wait longer.
Sensing his discomfort, Arias asked if Picasso would prefer to get haircuts and ____ at home.
Picasso happily ____ the offer.
Arias went to Picasso’s house to cut his hair from then on, but he never ____ Picasso for his services.
In return, Picasso gave him ____, paintings, and ceramics as a gesture of friendship.
As their friendship grew stronger, Arias started to drop by Picasso’s house, not to shave or cut his hair, but to ____ out.
Picasso once said to Arias, “You are always welcome to come to my ____.
When you’re here, I feel like I’m ____ in Spain.”
Picasso also paid frequent visits to Arias’s home, where he enjoyed Spanish dishes ____ by Arias’s mother.
When they dined ____, they would sit and talk for hours.
Picasso once asked Arias, “What do you think about your own work as a ____?”
Arias ____, “Well, when I finish a haircut for a customer, I always notice my mistakes.”
Upon hearing Arias’s response, Picasso suddenly hugged him and said, “You’re an artist. I always see some mistakes whenever I ____ my paintings.”
One day, Picasso was busy painting War and Peace, one of his largest projects, ____ Arias paid him a visit.
Picasso ____ been working hard staying up at night for days.
Seeing this, Arias assisted Picasso with his work, from moving a ____ around for Picasso to painting some characters.
So Picasso made a joke, “Now I have to sign this painting ____ and Arias.”
As time passed,
As time passed, Picasso’s health declined with ____.
One day, Picasso asked Arias, “____ are you going to do with all the paintings and sketches I gave you?”
Arias responded that he would build a museum in ____ to display the works.
Picasso was moved to hear that and ____ to help Arias.
But unfortunately, he did not ____ to see the museum completed, passing away in 1973.
Arias was in grief and despair but found comfort in knowing that his ____ friend would live on through his art.
A few ____ later, Arias returned to Spain and exhibited Picasso’s works.
This small exhibit attracted visitors ____ all over the world.
A foreign merchant approached Arias one day and attempted to persuade him to sell ____ of Picasso’s works.
But he refused to ____, saying,
“Even if you bring all the money in your country, I will not ____ any of his works to you.
His works are symbols of the friendship ____ Picasso and me.”
The ____ Picasso—Colección Eugenio Arias (The Picasso Museum—Eugenio Arias Collection) was finally completed.
This was possible because Arias donated ____ sixty pieces of Picasso’s works to Arias’s hometown of Buitrago del Lozoya.
They comprised a collection of paintings, posters, ceramics, and other ____.
Each of them is distinct from Picasso’s other works because Picasso carved each one with the inscription Para mi ____, Arias (For my friend, Arias).
When visitors ____ this museum, they quickly discover that it is more than just a tribute to honor Picasso’s artistic legacy; it is also a monument to the artist and barber’s lifelong friendship.