Picasso museum

One of the museums we had both been excited to see whilst in Paris was the Picasso Museum. It is situated in the centre of Le Marais, in a rather spectacular building called L’Hotel Salé. It is the greatest collection of Picasso’s work in the world, and in the main has been donated to the museum from his family since his death in 1973.

Pablo Picasso had lived in France from 1900. He permanently lived in Paris from 1904 until the late 1940s, before moving to the South of France, where he lived until his death in Mougins, on April 8, 1973. 

The museum provides a delightful space for displaying his varied works. The impressive entryway is typically ornate 17th century, whilst the interior has been cleverly designed as a modern space. It really sets the scene for the breadth of his style, which I was about to learn a lot more about.

One thing I hadn’t been completely aware of is that Picasso had a classical art training in Barcelona, and that his early paintings of his days in Paris were reminiscent of the work produced by Toulouse-Lautrec, or Degas, in the nightclubs of Montmartre. Degas being my favourite artist.

The exhibition has works from all periods of his career, including his cubist paintings and paper sculptures, which I found really interesting, as well as his incredible pottery, which was joyous. There’s works by other artists of the time also, such as Matisse and Braque. It was useful to see these mixed in, to see how the artists influenced each other.

It’s a wonderful collection, and gives a wide view of the artists changing styles.

I’m not even sure whether I would say I liked Picasso before we went in, but now I would say that I certainly love some of his work, especially when he showed his frivolous, lighthearted side.