MUSEU PICASSO

Description

Essentials about the Museu Picasso in brief

Pablo Picasso had an intimate relationship with Barcelona throughout his life. In his youth, the exceptional artist spent several years in the Catalan capital and studied at the local art academy La Llotja. During this time he met many artists from Barcelona and Catalonia; his first exhibitions also took place in Barcelona. No wonder, then, that the Museu Picasso in Barcelona is in possession of one of the most extensive Picasso collections in the world. With over 4,200 works of art, the museum is an absolute highlight for all Picasso fans and, along with the Museo del Prado in Madrid and the Musée Picasso in Paris, one of the three major collections of works by the artist.

The locations of the Museu Picasso

The Museu Picasso is located in five connected Gothic city palaces dating from the 13th to 15th centuries on Carrer Montcada in the historic La Ribera district: the Palau Aguilar, the Palau Baró de Castellet, the Palau Meca, Casa Mauri and the Palau Finestres.

The collection of the Museu Picasso

The permanent collection is divided into three sections: Paintings and Drawings, Engravings and Ceramics. Spanning a period from 1895 – 1904, it mainly covers the early years of Picasso’s artistic life, including the famous blue period from 1901 to 1904, but works from later creative periods are also on display. In addition, the Museu Picasso hosts constantly changing exhibitions, often on themes related to Picasso and his relationship with other artists.

The history of the Museu Picasso

The idea for the museum came from Picasso’s friend and secretary Jaume Sabartés, to whom Picasso had donated many paintings, drawings and prints. Incidentally, it was Picasso himself who inspired Sabartés to choose Barcelona as the location for the museum. An irony of history is that during the Franco dictatorship in Spain, Picasso’s paintings were not allowed to be shown for years and his name was not even allowed to be printed in the press. It was not until the beginning of the tourist boom that Spain’s cultural policy changed and people began to rely on the advertising effectiveness of Picasso’s name. In 1961 the first Picasso exhibition took place. In 1963 the museum was finally opened, at that time still under the name Sabartés Collection (only later it was renamed Museu Picasso).

The foundation of the collection was formed by 574 pieces collected by Picasso’s friend Sabartés. Over the years the museum grew, various works were donated, including by Picasso himself. In 1970, he donated 920 pieces, especially early works, paintings from the Blue Period, some schoolbooks, and the series Las Meninas, which represents variations of Velazquez’s painting of the same name.

In 1982, Picasso’s widow donated a 41-piece collection of ceramics to the museum and the Luise Leiris Gallery donated 117 engravings. Due to the growth of the collection, the museum premises also had to expand, so that today the museum is spread over five buildings.