Eleanor (Sue) Green; Staged Picasso Exhibit

Eleanor (Sue) Green, 67, the art museum curator who directed the first comprehensive U.S. exhibit of Pablo Picasso’s post-World War II work. Born in Covina and educated at Vassar College and George Washington University, Mrs. Green helped found the Newport Pavilion Gallery now known as the Newport Harbor Museum of Art. In Washington, she became curator of contemporary art for the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Washington Gallery of Modern Art, where she directed the widely heralded 1966 Picasso exhibit. She brushed aside critics who had said before the showing that the artist hadn’t “done anything worthwhile since the 1930s.” The exhibit renewed interest in Picasso’s postwar work and prompted a debate in art journals. Mrs. Green also drew interest in media and art circles for some of her Corcoran exhibits such as a show in Washington that featured large sculptures, including Ronald Bladen’s “X” and Tony Smith’s “Smoke.” She served as director of the University of Maryland Art Gallery for eight years. On Thursday in Covina of cancer.