Picasso Museum, Barcelona, Spain

One of the highlights of Barcelona for us was the Museu Picasso. Open since 1963, this beautiful museum is housed in a collection of five medieval palaces in the old city of Barcelona.

This extensive collection begins with his early works and continues through the various stages and changes of his life and art. Here you’ll find over 4,000 works by this iconic artist.

His father was an art instructor, and had high hopes for his son to become the artist he never became. By the time Picasso was in his mid-teens, he was demonstrating exceptional skill as an artist, as demonstrated in the painting below.

As I mentioned in my blog last week, Picasso painted Science and Charity when he was only fifteen years old. His uncle, Dr. Salvador Ruiz, helped to fund his art training at Instituto Da Guarda in Barcelona, and contributed to the inspiration for this painting.

Lucien Clergue was a famous French photographer and long time friend of Picasso. His collection of photos of Picasso was acquired by the museum in 2016. The photos are on display in the first few galleries in the museum. I wish I had taken more photos of these!

Picasso mostly enjoyed painting city life and street scenes.

He often used his parents, sisters, and friends as models when he focused on the human figure.

In 1901, triggered by the suicide of a friend, Picasso moved into a period of contemplation referred to as his “Blue Period”, where his work focused on the human condition.

As he aged, cubism became his primary focus.

As an older adult, he seemed to channel his childhood and focused on fun, whimsical themes.

The museum is located along a quiet side street in old town Barcelona. It’s a beautiful place to visit. The juxtaposition of the medieval palace stone walls, and the contemporary upgrades are quite interesting.

The Picasso Museum is a must see for art lovers visiting Barcelona. Tickets run about 12€ per person. Be sure to book in advance or you may have a long wait to get in.

Have you been to the Picasso Museum? Even if you haven’t, I would love to hear from you, so please leave a comment.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia