Writer Anne Berest is presenting an unprecedented four-part series for Beaux Arts about her great-grandfather, Francis Picabia, ahead of a major exhibition dedicated to his work in Milan, starting October 9. Berest previously co-authored a book about Picabia's wife, Gabriële, with her sister Claire Berest, and now delves into the psyche of this enigmatic ancestor. During her childhood, Berest frequently encountered the question, "You are named Picabia, like the painter?" directed at her mother. Her mother's response was always the same: "Yes, it is my grandfather," delivered with embarrassment and an almost agitated tone. The name Picabia seemed to unsettle her mother, but Berest was not told the reason. As a child in the late 1980s, Berest used a dictionary to investigate the name. She discovered that Francis Picabia was a painter, and the dictionary entry included an illustration of a painting with a title too complex for her to understand. The painting, described as consisting of signatures placed next to each other, did not look like a traditional painting, which may have contributed to her mother's discomfort. At around thirteen or fourteen years old, Berest visited the Centre Pompidou with her class. The museum's unconventional design, with visible infrastructure and an escalator enclosed in a transparent tube, created a sense of floating. In the permanent collection, she encountered a large painting with blues, greys, and pastel pinks, which caused a physical vibration. The painting, titled Udnie, was attributed to Francis Picabia. The teacher mentioned that the title was a word not found in any language, and Berest realized the painting was her great-grandfather's work. Years later, Berest is now the curator of an exhibition dedicated to Picabia's work. When asked if she is related to the artist, she answers with a smile, confirming that Picabia is her great-grandfather. The exhibition, titled Picabia. Open the doors of the night, runs from October 9, 2026, to January 24, 2027, at Palazzo Reale in Milan. The exhibition features over 170 works, exploring Picabia's transformations from impressionism to abstraction, and is not arranged chronologically but thematically.