Picasso Museum BarcelonaMy rating: 5 stars+ Fans of Picasso will get their money's worth! Located in an Gothic-building makes the museum even more charming.
- Often (very) long lines. Most recently, the museum has been removed from the BarcelonaCard list. Too bad! But you can always get the Articket, though.
Piece of advice: Very long queue in summer.
Last updated: 27 Feb 2020 | Celine Mülich
The details at a glance
Opening hours: March to October 31.st: Monday, 10.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. Tuesday - Sunday, 9.00 a.m. - 8.30 p.m.* Thursday, 9.00 a.m. - 9.30 p.m.* (after 7 p.m. free admission) November 1st - December 31st: Tuesday - Sunday, 9.00 a.m. - 7.00 p.m.* Thursday, 9.00 a.m. - 9.30 p.m.* (after 6 p.m. free admission) Closed on Mondays * last admission each time 30 minutes before closing
Price of admission: only Collection: €12 reduced price €6.50 Only exhibition: €6.50 Euro reduced price €4.50 Reductions for persons under the age of 29, senior citizens over the age of 65, unemployed peoples, extended families Free admission for children under the age of 16, teachers and the first Sunday of a month Online tickets: Online Ticket (via TicketBar) Online Ticket and guided city-tour:(Provider Ticketbar): admission fee + Citytour "Picassos tracks" for €36 Hop-on/Hop-off Bus + admission ticket(Provider TicketBar): Combo ticket for €42
Articket: free admission (buy online) No waiting in line! BarcelonaCard: no
Audio guide: €3 (available in English) Tours: English: Sundays 11.00 a.m., Spanish: 12.00 a.m., Catalan 1.00 p.m. (free of charge, but you have to sign up online)
How to get there: L4 (yellow line) Jaume I
And what’s 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.
Current Exhibitions: - Future Exhibitions: -
Photogallery of the Picasso Museum
Unfortunately, photography is forbidden in the Picasso Museum due to copyright issues regarding the artist and his estate.
A history of the Picasso Museum
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.
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 around 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.