Juan Picasso at 1978

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Gallery 1978 presents its Black History Month artist Juan Antonio Picasso in an exhibit that runs from Feb. 13 through March 20. There will be an opening reception Sunday, Feb. 14, from 2 to 6 p.m. Picasso, an Afro­-Cuban relative of Pablo Picasso, is from Havana, Cuba. He is one of 40 living descendants of Pablo Picasso’s grandfather, who lived in Cuba in the late 1800s and fathered four children with Cristina Serra, an Afro-­Cuban woman.

In the 1999 documentary “Los Picassos Negros,” Juan Picasso is featured as the only known descendant to make a living as an artist. The Picasso name may have garnered him heightened visibility and comparisons with Pablo Picasso, but his inspiration is provided by his Afro­-Cuban ancestors.

Gallery 1978 is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. For off-hours viewing, contact ​[email protected]​. Visit ​www.1978artscenter.org.