Picasso Museum
Picasso Museum
Picasso Museum Barcelona
The early works
Picasso magically attracts you! You can see that in the queue 😉
Above all, you will find his early works here – he painted one of the earliest when he was 13! The most famous work here: the “Las Meninas” series after Velázquez.
Opening hours:
Tuesday Sunday,
10.00 a.m. – 7.00 p.m
Guided tour of the Picasso Museum for EUR 35 (EN/FR/IT)
My Rating:
The positives:
Fans of Picasso will get their money's worth! Located in an Gothic-building makes the museum even more charming.
The negatives:
Often (very) long lines and packed inside!
Tip:
Buy a ticket or the Articket online - this will save you the waiting time.
The audio guide is highly recommended!
Last Modified: 29.07.2024 | Céline
Picasso Museum
Tickets
The details
at a glance
What is there
to see?
Pablo Ruiz Picasso came to Barcelona in 1895 at the age of 13. He received his education at La Llotja, the school where his father taught. In the 10 years he spent in Barcelona, the city had a lasting effect on him – more so than any other place.
The Picasso Museum was opened as early as 1963, while Picasso was still alive. The fact that it is located in Barcelona shows how much he appreciated his time here. For this precise reason, the museum only has his early works on display, starting from the incredible work he created at the age of 14 and going all the way to his early expressionistic art – the Blue Period and the later “Las Meninas” series, based on the works of Diego Velazquez.
The young artist is represented by more than 3800 pieces of art. The museum also has sketches, prints, pottery, and several temporary exhibits to offer.
*Unfortunately, photography for commercial use is forbidden in the Picasso Museum due to copyright issues regarding the artist and his estate.
About
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born in Málaga in 1881. He was a painter, sculptor, and graphic artist. His opus is estimated at 50,000 works covering a wide range of styles. Starting with his early works, which always had a touch of impressionism about them, Picasso continually developed his style.
In 1895, Picasso moved to Barcelona and could often be found in the bar “Els Quatre Gats” – a bar where artists frequently met, including Ramon Casas and other modernists. This is most likely where Picasso held his own first exhibition in 1900.
In 1907, his “Demoiselles d’avignon” marked the foundation for his cubist style of painting. The initial reactions were, however, generally negative. In 1908, he met Georges Braque, with whom he officially established cubism. However, he had already moved to Paris at that time.
In 1963, the “Museu Picasso” was opened in Barcelona. The artwork that made the foundation of the collection was given as a gift by Sabartés, a friend of Picasso’s. However, this is not the only honor Picasso received during his lifetime: On his 90th birthday in 1971, the Louvre hosted a retrospective of his work – something no living artist had ever achieved before!
On April 8th, 1973, Picasso died in his house in Mougins after a heart attack, which had been caused by a lung edema.
After his death, another Picasso museum was initiated: the Picasso Museum in Paris. This has even more of Picasso’s works in its possession, but it was not initiated by him personally, but by his heirs.
Picasso Museum Barcelona
A bit of History
The museum is located within five large palaces in the Born district. These palaces were built in the 13th to 15th centuries, and were renovated as early as the 18th century. They were created in the Catalan Gothic style and include courtyards which lead to the individual areas within the museum.
Picasso himself and his friend and secretary Jaume Sabartés participated in designing the museum by vocalizing their own thoughts and wishes. For instance, the artist’s younger works were to be shown here (and they are, in their entirety!) alongside all the works leading up to the “Blue Period”. The important series of works titled “Las Meninas” from 1957 can be found here, too.
The museum itself has made the facilitation of knowledge and the exploration of Picasso’s work its primary goal, and is well-known for offering a variety of new perspectives on the eccentric artist.
Alongside the Sagrada Familia, the Camp Nou stadium and the Miro Museum, the Picasso Museum is one of the city’s most important attractions.
Official website of the Picasso Museum (EN): museupicasso.bcn.cat
Text and image rights: 1./2./ 3./4. Images of the photo gallery: © Céline Mülich, 2013-2024;
last image of the photo gallery and Header: MPB Document Collection. Photo: Ronald Stallard;
5th image of the photogallery: MPB Document Collection. Photo: Marisol Paredes
With permission of the Picasso Museum