Ah, Pablo Picasso. When I Google(d) some of his works, I cringed at the fact that one of my hobbies is drawing. He was truly an artistic genius. The 'Genius: Picasso' is an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated TV series that aired on National Geographic and captured audiences worldwide. The second season is *finally* here.
Premiering with a feature-length episode on Tuesday, April 24, at 9/8c, the second season of National Geographic's 10-part global event series, 'Genius: Picasso', explores the Spanish expatriate's devotion to his craft, his contribution to modern art and his turbulent personal life. The new season, from Fox 21 Television Studios, is executive produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment. Showrunner, executive producer, writer and director Ken Biller also returns.
Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro) brings to life the artistic career of the titular artist: Pablo Picasso. Joining him as the younger Pablo is Alex Rich (True Detective), who rejects academic study and joins the circle of young bohemian artists and writers struggling to make it in early 20th century Spain and France.
Clémence Poésy (The Tunnel) portrays Françoise Gilot, a French painter and best-selling author whose decade-long affair with Picasso yielded two children and who was his only lover strong enough to withstand his ferocious intensity and move on with her life. Sebastian Roché  (Young Pope) is Emile Gilot, Francoise's tyrannical father. Robert Sheehan (Misfits), plays Carles Casagemas, a Spanish art student and poet who was one of Picasso's closest friends. Poppy Delevingne (Kingsman: The Golden Circle), portrays Marie-Thérèse Walter, a lover and muse of Picasso, who mothered his first daughter. Aisling Franciosi (Game of Thrones) is Fernande Olivier, a French artist and model, of whom Picasso painted more than 60 portraits.
The second season of the acclaimed series began production last year, filming in many locations where Picasso himself once lived and worked. This included a three-day shoot in Málaga, Spain — birthplace of both Picasso and Banderas — where production filmed in the same house in which Picasso was born, the church where he was baptised and the bullring where he found much inspiration in his youth.
Filmed throughout Europe — including Paris, Málaga, Barcelona, Budapest and Malta — the series features a number of well-known personalities who crossed paths with Picasso, including Coco Chanel, Henri Matisse, Georges Braque and Jean Cocteau. 'Genius: Picasso' premieres globally in April on National Geographic in 172 countries and 43 languages.