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The Museu Picasso (, "Picasso Museum") is an
art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own Collection (artwork), collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. A ...
in
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, in
Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...
, Spain. It houses an extensive collection of artworks by the twentieth-century Spanish artist
Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
, with a total of 4251 of his works. It is housed in five adjoining medieval palaces on Montcada Street in the
La Ribera La Ribera (, 'The Shore') is one of the areas of the quarter of Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera of Ciutat Vella ("the old city") of Barcelona. Overview Many of the buildings date from late Medieval times. It was a well-to-do quarter duri ...
neighborhood in the Old City of Barcelona. It opened to the public on 9 March 1963, becoming the first museum dedicated to Picasso's work and the only one created during his lifetime. It has since been declared a museum of national interest by the
Government of Catalonia The Executive Council of Catalonia ( ca, Consell Executiu) or the Executive Government of Catalonia (Catalan: ) is the Executive (government), executive branch of the Generalitat of Catalonia. It is responsible for the political action, regul ...
. Highlights of the collection include two of his first major works, '' The First Communion'' (1896), and ''
Science and Charity ''Science and Charity'' is an oil on canvas painting by Pablo Picasso, which he painted in Barcelona in 1897. It is an example of one of Picasso's earliest works, as he painted it when he was only 15 years old. The painting depicts a formal comp ...
'' (1897). In particular, the Museu Picasso reveals Picasso's relationship with the city of Barcelona, a relationship that was shaped in his youth and adolescence and continued until his death.


History

The original idea for the museum came from Picasso's lifelong friend and secretary, Jaume Sabartés, whom Picasso had given many paintings, drawings, and prints since meeting in 1899. Originally, Sabartés intended to found the museum in
Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
, Picasso's birthplace. It was Picasso himself who suggested that Barcelona would be more appropriate, given his long-standing connections with the city. On 27 July 1960, Sabartés signed an agreement with the city of Barcelona to found the museum. The museum opened in 1963, with the collection established through Sabartés' donation of 574 works from his personal collection. Other items included works that Picasso had given to the city of Barcelona, such as ''Harlequin'', works previously in the possession of the city's museum of modern art, and other gifts from Picasso's friends and collectors. The museum opened under the name of the Sabartés Collection, because of Picasso's strong opposition to Franco's regime. In the end, Barcelona mayor Josep Porcioles went against the wishes of the central government in order to open the museum. When it opened, the museum was located in Palau Aguilar on Montcada Street. In this era, the collection consisted mainly of the personal collection Sabartés, some
lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
s, and posters. Other donations during the museum's first year included a book of
engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ...
s made by Picasso of Ovid's ''
Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the wo ...
'', donated by
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...
, as well as a
collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...
given by
Gala Dalí Gala Dalí (born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova, Елéна Ивáновна Дья́конова; – 10 June 1982), usually known simply as Gala, was the wife of poet Paul Éluard and later of artist Salvador Dalí, who were both prominent in ...
, titled ''No,'' 1913. In subsequent years, the collection was expanded with donations, including 7-drawings dated between 1899 and 1904 given by Junyer Sebastian Vidal.


Expansion

After Sabartés death in 1968, in 1970 Picasso made his last personal donation to the museum. The donation was made up of 920 varied works, including items from his early work that his family had been keeping for him ever since the time he first settled in France. These included school books, academic pieces and paintings from
Picasso's Blue Period The Blue Period ( es, Período Azul) is a term used to define the works produced by Spanish painter Pablo Picasso between 1901 and 1904 when he painted essentially monochrome, monochromatic paintings in shades of blue and blue-green, only occasio ...
. Sabartés himself bequested a number of works upon his death, including a series of 58 paintings on ''
Las Meninas ''Las Meninas'' (; ) is a 1656 painting in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. It has become one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting, due to the way its complex an ...
''. In December 1970, the museum underwent its first expansion, adding the Palau del Baró de Castellet, which is attached to the original museum building, Palau Aguilar. As years passed, the museum grew in importance as more substantial donations were made. During the early 1980s the collection was expanded with several donations from individuals and various art galleries, as well as through acquisitions. In 1982, Picasso's widow Jacqueline Roque gave 41 pieces to the museum. (In 1983), the Louise Leiris Gallery made a donation of 117 engravings. Some notable donations include those from
Carles Domingo Carles () is a common Catalan given name of Germanic origin, which also appears as a surname. The English language equivalent is Charles. The name Carles can refer to: People *Carles (name) Places *Carles, Iloilo, a 2nd class municipality in the ...
and the
Editorial Gustavo Gili An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK) is an article written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper, magazine, or any other written document, often unsigned. Australian and major United States newspapers, such ...
, among others. In 1985, the museum's physical space expanded again with the addition of Palau Meca. During the 1990s donations included (women ''bust'' or '' Man sitting''). The museum also acquired works such as ''Portrait of Jacqueline with tape,'' among others. In the late 1990s the museum expanded yet again with the acquisition of Casa Mauri and Palau Windows, both on the same street and adjacent to the museum. Opened in 1999, this new extension added 3,400 square meters to the museum, serving as a space for temporary exhibitions, an auditorium, and additional services. The extension was opened with the temporary exhibition ''Picasso: Interior and Exterior Landscape'', with more than 200 works by the artist created between 1917 and 1970.


21st century

In 2003, the museum's interior was remodeled and the artworks rearranged. Two years later, The
Government of Catalonia The Executive Council of Catalonia ( ca, Consell Executiu) or the Executive Government of Catalonia (Catalan: ) is the Executive (government), executive branch of the Generalitat of Catalonia. It is responsible for the political action, regul ...
declared the institution a museum of national interest. In 2006, Maite Ocaña, the museum's director since 1983, resigned in order to direct the
National Art Museum of Catalonia The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (, English: "National Art Museum of Catalonia"), abbreviated as MNAC, is a museum of Catalan visual art located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Situated on Montjuïc hill at the end of Avinguda de la Reina Ma ...
. Pepe Serra was appointed director of the Picasso in the same year. In 2008, the Museu Picasso rearranged the permanent collection and opened new rooms dedicated to engraving, including one dedicated to Sabartés. Serra has since established a network of organizations associated with Picasso, including the City of
Gósol Gósol is a village and municipality located in the northwest of the comarca of Berguedà in Catalonia, in the Pyrenees. It is within the confines of Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park, to the west of Pedraforca. Gósol is the only municipality in Ber ...
, the Centre Picasso of
Horta de Sant Joan Horta de Sant Joan is a village and municipality in comarca of Terra Alta in Catalonia, Spain. Pablo Picasso spent a year in this town and learned a considerable amount of his artistic skills in the town. History Because of its location on a s ...
and
Palau Foundation The Palau Foundation ( ca, Fundació Palau) is an art exhibition centre in the centre of Caldes d'Estrac, in the region of El Maresme (Catalonia). It was opened in May 2003, to exhibit and disseminate the art collection that had been compiled by Jos ...
in
Caldes d'Estrac Caldes d'Estrac (, also known as Caldetes) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of Maresme in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the coast between Sant Vicenç de Montalt and Arenys de Mar. It is served by the main N-II road along the coast and ...
, with the central aim of promoting the position of the artist by the Catalan territory. In 2009, the museum was listed as one of the 40 most visited art museums in the world by ''
The Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...
''. In 2010 the museum began a project to improve its active presence in
social networks A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...
such as
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
,
Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...
, and
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
. The museum's efforts resulted in the Museums & the Web 2010 Best of the Web award for social media. The museum's social media projects promote participatory discussion around the institution's research and knowledge. More recently, the museum has built a new building in Sabartés square, behind Montcada Street. This expansion helped alleviate the overcrowding at the entry of the museum. The building was designed by the architect Jordi Garcés, who had completed the previous expansion of the museum.


Architecture

The Museu Picasso occupies five large houses or palaces of the Carrer de Montcada Barcelona, dating from the 13th century and 14th century, occupying a total area of 10,628 sqm. The buildings follow the style of Gothic civil Catalan. Each of the 5 buildings are built following a similar pattern, around a courtyard equipped with an exterior staircase that allows access to the main floors. The buildings that house the collection of Picasso's works also have their own history.


Palau Aguilar

The Palau Aguilar (Montcada, 15) was the first building occupied by the museum. The building was probably built on the residence of James Ses sources, an important character in the life of Barcelona. The building dates from the 13th century but underwent significant alterations between the 15th and 18th centuries. Between the 13th and 14th centuries the building belonged to various nobles of the Court of Aragon. It was purchased in 1386 by the bourgeois family Corominas-Desplà, who then sold it fourteen years later to Berenguer Aguilar, from which the palace is named. Later owners included several members of the Catalan bourgeoisie prior to the building's purchase by the
City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
on 3 November 1953. During a restoration made in 1960, the remains of a 13th-century painting were discovered while removing plaster from one of the rooms. Today this work is exhibited in the
National Art Museum of Catalonia The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (, English: "National Art Museum of Catalonia"), abbreviated as MNAC, is a museum of Catalan visual art located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Situated on Montjuïc hill at the end of Avinguda de la Reina Ma ...
. A large fresco representing the
conquest of Majorca The conquest of the island of Majorca on behalf of the Christian kingdoms was carried out by King James I of Aragon between 1229 and 1231. The pact to carry out the invasion, concluded between James I and the ecclesiastical and secular leaders ...
in 1229, the work is made up of cauldrons and roses, which suggest that the palace belonged to the lineage Caldes and Desvalls. It depicts the central courtyard of the building during the 15th century, with an open staircase and a pointed Gotchic arch.


Palau Baró de Castellet

The Palau Baró de Castellet (Montcada, 17) is a palace from the medieval period. Built during the 13th century, it was owned by the Gerona family during the 15th century. Since then it has changed hands between the bourgeois and aristocratic families of Barcelona, having been remodeled during the 18th century. In 1797, the then owner (Mariano Alegre Aparici Amat) received the noble title of Baron ''Castle'' at the hands of King Charles IV, prompting the palace to receive its name. Upon the death of the Baron, the building was bequeathed to the Hospital of the Holy Cross, who rented it to different tenants until they sold it to the Rivers family. The City Council then purchased the building in the 1950s. The palace was built around a central courtyard and includes on its facade a relief from the 16th century that depicts religious themes. The interior's main floor is in the neo-classical style of the mid-18th century, including elements of
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
and polychrome reliefs.


Palau Meca

The Palau Meca (Montcada, 19) was built between the 13th and 14th centuries and also underwent restoration during the 18th century. Similar to the other palaces, it contains a central courtyard. Highlights include the medieval polychrome coffered ceilings of the main floor as well as unique ceilings from the 19th century. In 1349, the property was owned by James Knight, then Minister of the City Council. Under the ownership of his grandson, Ramon Desplà Knight, it became the largest palace on the block. The building later became the property of the family of Cassador (or Hunter), Marquis of Ciutadilla. The first owner, Joseph Mecca Hunter gave the palace its current name. The next family to own it, the Milans, restored the building after it was badly damaged during the
War of Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
. In 1901, the building was given to the Brothers of Christian Doctrine and (was installed Montepío of Santa Madrona.) Over time the Montepío integrated with a bank, who gave the building to the City Council on 5 December 1977. The Palace was reopened as part of the museum on 11 January 1982.


Casa Mauri

Casa Mauri (Montcada, 21) includes some structures that date from Roman times, when the space was occupied by the suburbs of Barcino. Of note is the unique wood facade, one of the few examples in Barcelona of the locking system typical of the 18th century. Between 1378 and 1516 the building was owned by the Rocha family and in 1716 it was owned by F. Casamada. During the 19th century several renovations were made. Under the owner Josep Vidal Torrents, the building was made to have industrial uses until it was bought by Mauri bakeries in 1943, the company that gave the building its name. In 1999 the building was acquired by Museu Picasso.


Palau Finestres

The Palau Finestres (Montcada, 23) was built on the foundations of a building dating to the 13th century and occupies a former Roman
necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...
. Between 1363 and 1516 the area belonged to the Marimon family. In 1872, the owner of Casa Mauri, Jose Vidal Torres, bought the building in order to annex it to his home. The City acquired the building in 1970. There are arcades on the ground floor, added during the reforms of the fifteenth and 17th centuries. On the main floor, a coffered ceiling from the end of the 13th century have been restored. The building is currently used as exhibition space.


Knowledge and Research Center

The Knowledge and Research Center was opened on 17 February, a new building located in Plaza Sabartés that was designed by architect Jordi Garcés. The site aims to become an international landmark in the study of Picasso and his artistic and social context. Director Pepe Sierra explained that the space would be used for discussion, dialogue, and debate, rather than as a place of consumption. (The organization responsible for this is Silvia Domenech, commissioned between 1997 and 2007 of the Photographic Archive of Barcelona.) Jordi Garcés, who already performed the previous expansion of the museum, designed the 1500 square meter building with a transparent glass facade protected by a cantilever. The building houses an educational center on the ground floor, with 4 multi-purpose spaces aimed at providing educational service for the museum. The first floor is devoted to the library, documentation center, and archives of the museum. The basement is devoted to visitor services. The construction began on 10 July 2009 and ended on 16 February 2011, costing 6.7 million.


The permanent collection

The permanent collection is organized into three sections: painting and drawing, engraving, and ceramics. These cover principally the early years of Picasso's artistic life, such as his Blue Period from 1901 to 1904, but Picasso, his family, and his friends would bequest or loan other later pieces as well. There are now more than 3,500 works making up the permanent collection of the museum. The collection is organized into areas that include the early years (Málaga, Corunna and Barcelona, 1890–97), the training period (Barcelona, Horta de San Juan and Madrid, 1897–1901), the Blue Period (1901–04), works in Barcelona from 1917, and the entire ''Las Meninas'' (1957) series. Most of the paintings on display at the museum are from the period between 1890 and 1917, an important collection in regard to that portion of Picasso's life. The museum has very few paintings after 1917, with the exception of the ''
Las Meninas ''Las Meninas'' (; ) is a 1656 painting in the Museo del Prado in Madrid, by Diego Velázquez, the leading artist of the Spanish Golden Age. It has become one of the most widely analyzed works in Western painting, due to the way its complex an ...
'', painted in 1957. The collection of
lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...
s comprises the years 1962 and 1982. Picasso himself gave the museum a copy of each of his works produced after the death of Sabartés in 1968. The collection also includes illustrations made by the artist for various books, as well as ceramics gifted to the museum by Picasso's widow, Jacqueline. Between 2009 and 2010 the museum began making information on the permanent collection public on their website. As of October 2010, over 65% of the museum's collection was available to view online.


Exhibitions

The Picasso Museum has carried out dozens of exhibitions since it opened. Often, these exposures are related to the figure of the painter or topics related to their environment, trying to research and review the work and studies of the painter from Málaga. We have also held exhibitions on the relationship between Picasso and other artists as Picasso vs. Rusiñol held in 2010. Sometimes also organized a traveling exhibition, and Bullfighting. Paintings, drawings and prints in the collection of the Museu Picasso which could be seen at the Casa Lis in Salamanca in 2010. Also made small exhibition focused on one topic, called displays, such as analyzing the painting Science and Charity, the results of studies showing radiographic and reflectologia or another that analyzes a statement that was made about Picasso in Barcelona 1936, Room Esteva. Picasso Exhibition, 1936. The Museu Picasso frequently hosts special exhibitions presenting artworks by Picasso and other artists. From time to time, the museum also organizes
seminar A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some parti ...
s and lectures on subjects related to Picasso or on museological issues of interest given by specialists from throughout the world.


Directors

# Joan Ainaud Lasarte (1963–1966) # Rosa Maria Subirana (1966–1983) # Maria Teresa Ocaña (1983–2007) # Pepe Serra (2007–2011) # Bernardo Laniano Romero (2012-2016) # Emmanuel Guigon


See also

*
Musée Picasso :''This article refers to the museum in Paris. There are a number of other Picasso museums.'' The Musée Picasso ( en, Picasso Museum) is an art gallery located in the Hôtel Salé ( en, Salé Hall) in rue de Thorigny, in the Marais district ...
(Paris) *
Museo Picasso Málaga The Museo Picasso Málaga is a museum in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, the city where artist Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born.List of single-artist museums This is a list of single-artist museums, which are museums displaying the work of, or bearing the name of, a single visual artist. * Basuki Abdullah – Basoeki Abdullah Museum, Jakarta, Indonesia * Affandi – Affandi Museum, Yogyakarta, Indones ...


References

{{Authority control
Museu Picasso The Museu Picasso (, "Picasso Museum") is an art museum in Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It houses an extensive collection of artworks by the twentieth-century Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, with a total of 4251 of his works. It is housed in f ...
Art museums and galleries in Barcelona Art museums established in 1963
Museu Picasso The Museu Picasso (, "Picasso Museum") is an art museum in Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It houses an extensive collection of artworks by the twentieth-century Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, with a total of 4251 of his works. It is housed in f ...
Biographical museums in Spain Museums devoted to one artist
Museu Picasso The Museu Picasso (, "Picasso Museum") is an art museum in Barcelona, in Catalonia, Spain. It houses an extensive collection of artworks by the twentieth-century Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, with a total of 4251 of his works. It is housed in f ...
Modern art museums in Spain