THE PICASSO MUSEUM IN BARCELONA: A LOOK AT THE ARTIST’S EARLY WORKS

PABLO PICASSO

Born in 1881 in Málaga, Pablo Ruiz y Picasso is one of the greatest and most influential artists of all time. Considered to be the founder of Cubism, along with Georges Braque, Picasso began studying art at the Academy where his father was teaching: the Barcelona Art Academy and then he moved to the Madrid Academy. After a long period in Barcelona, he chose to travel to Paris and settle there, where he made some of the most important works from his collection and began creating his signature style.

 

THE CREATION OF THE MUSEUM

As previously mentioned, the Museum first opened in 1963, thanks to Jaume Sabartés, Pablo Picasso’s secretary and close friend who was given many drawings and paintings by the artist himself. The museum was originally supposed to be in Málaga but Picasso thought that Barcelona would have been better.

Over 547 works housed in the Museum were the property of Jaume Sabartés, who funded the Museum. The other works were either given to the city of Barcelona before the foundation of the Picasso Museum or were gifted by friends and collectors of his work. In 1970, Picasso gifted the Museum with over 900 works of art, containing some of his early works. This forced the Museum to expand multiple times throughout the years.

 

THE COLLECTION

The Picasso Museum is obviously filled with all kinds of works from the infamous Pablo Picasso. Drawings, sketches, paintings and prints can be found in the rooms of this Museum. Here’s a list of some of the most important ones:

 

• Still Life (1901): painted by the artist when he went to Paris for the second time, this painting is a great example of how Picasso was influenced by artists like Van Gogh, Cézanne and many more;
• Las Meninas (1957): A reinterpretation of Velázquez's “Las Meninas” and one of the most famous paintings made by Picasso;
• Barcelona Rooftops (1903): one of the first representations of Picasso’s Blue Period and one of the few paintings from that period that were made in Barcelona by the artist;
• Science and Charity (1897): painted while he was a student at the Barcelona Art Academy;
• The Offering (1907): one of the first paintings that marked the beginning of Picasso’s signature style: the simplification of forms;

 

VISITING THE PICASSO MUSEUM

If you’re planning on visiting the Picasso Museum when you’re in Barcelona, here are some helpful tips and information to make the most of your visit.

 

• HOW TO GET THERE:

The Picasso Museum is located in C/ de Montcada, 15-23 and you can get there by train or metro easily. The closest train station to the Museum is Estació de Sants. If you prefer taking the metro, you’ll have to take a few-minute walk from the closest station, which is Arc de Triomf. If you have a car available, you can also reach the Museum easily. Just make sure you get there in time, since parking may be a little hard!

 

• OPENING TIMES:

The Picasso Museum in Barcelona is open from Tuesday to Sunday (10:00 AM - 08:00 PM) and is closed on Mondays and Holidays. Before getting there, make sure you check for the opening times online just to be sure!

We highly suggest you book your ticket in advance so you can choose the day and time of your visit easily.

 

CONCLUSION:

If you’re planning on going to Barcelona and are a fan of art, visiting the Picasso Museum is definitely a must. As said before, we suggest you book your ticket in advance. If you want to get to know more about Barcelona, check out our other blogs!