|
Frommer's Guide
|
|
FEATURES AND EVENTS
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Barcelona's Museu Picasso
by Adam Davis
Manager, Editorial and Promotional Content
|
|
|
If visiting the Museu Picasso has piqued your interest in the Catalan masters of the twentieth-century, you might want to head to the Fundació Miró, located just south of the heart of Barcelona, near the Olympic Stadium at Montjuïc. Dedicated to the works of Joan Miró, the Spanish artist whose signature forms and playful hues have achieved iconic status worldwide, this museum and research center offers a striking contrast to the gothic Museu Picasso. The building, originally designed by Catalan architect Josep Luís Sert, provides an excellent showcase for Miró's artwork: White walls and spacious interiors act as extensions of the paintings themselves, enabling the colors, shapes, and lines to present themselves unchallenged to the viewer. In the spirit of Spain's great appreciation of art, the Fundació Miró is also host to a constantly evolving group of temporary exhibits, as well as educational seminars and performances.
|
Mention Barcelona and any Europhile will likely conjure up images of La Sagrada Familia cathedral and the teeming pedestrian boulevard, Las Rambles. Without a doubt, these cultural treasures are crucial to the spirit of this great Catalan city and should not be missed. But once your jaw has dropped before a half dozen of Antoní Gaudí's surreal edifices, once you've rubbed elbows with enough tourists, street performers, and vendors to last through next year's running of the bulls, be sure to make your way to a few of the other superb attractions that make Barcelona one of Europe's most compelling cities. One such sight is the Museu Picasso, located north of Les Rambles along the winding streets of one of Barcelona's oldest quarters. It's centrally located, easy to find, and a must-see for art enthusiasts as well as anyone curious about the creative process.
The Catalan Connection
Pablo Picasso's contribution to twentieth-century art has enjoyed unsurpassed exposure and acclaim. If you've ever wondered why, the Museu Picasso is an excellent starting point to understanding how Picasso cultivated a reputation that has practically made his name a synonym for modern art. Situated in the eloquently restored fifteenth-century Palace of Berenguer d'Aguilar on a medieval street in Barcelona's La Ribera district, the museum houses the world's most thorough and thought-provoking collection of the artist's early works, along with a selection of gems from his later years.
Born in Málaga, Spain in 1881, Picasso moved to Barcelona and entered an art academy at the age of 15 when it became clear to his family that his artistic talent was something to be taken very seriously. The Catalan city remained his off-and-on home until 1904, when Picasso finally settled permanently in Paris. However, he maintained strong ties to Barcelona during his expatriate years, and continued to visit and pay homage to the city throughout his life. Still, the Museu Picasso would probably not exist were it not for the efforts and generosity of Jaime Sabartés, Picasso's lifelong friend and a native Barcelonan. In the early 1960s, Sabartés donated his substantial private collection of the artist's work to the city of Barcelona--422 works in all. These, along with pieces from Barcelona's Museu d'Art Modern, form the core of the collection as it exists today.
Early Signs of Genius
The collection is organized more or less chronologically throughout the rooms of the palace, beginning with sketches and paintings Picasso produced as a child. Of these early works the standout piece is Science and Charity, a large oil painting that the young Picasso completed with the technical skill of a master at the age of 16. The collection then proceeds through the styles that dominated the years Picasso spent moving back and forth between Barcelona and Paris. First are works from the emotionally-charged "blue" period (1901-1904)--eerily beautiful (and, yes, blue) depictions of the poor and working-class people. Then follow works from the festive "rose" period (1904-1906)--brightly-painted portraits whose subjects are frequently the traveling circus performers found in Paris at the turn of the century. From these periods the collection progresses through a smattering of other signature styles before showcasing a few outstanding examples of Picasso's later works. Most impressive among these is the famous Las Meninas series--58 oil paintings that constitute a brilliant meditation on Diego Velázquez's famous painting of the same name. Picasso frequently found himself drawn to the great Spanish painters who came before him, and his interpretation of the Velázquez masterpiece is the quintessence of this fascination.
The museum's collection has its gaps and will probably leave you wanting more. But it makes up for what it lacks by showcasing Picasso's early ingenuity and ability to constantly evolve from one groundbreaking form to the next. Ultimately, the museum provides an intimate first draft of the portrait of a man whose vision and talent continue to inspire generations of artists and art aficionados alike. Best of all, meandering though the Museu Picasso's cloister-like rooms you will undoubtedly stumble upon a certain drawing or painting that simply astounds you.•
|
|
|
Inside Scoop |
|
Outside of Barcelona, Europe is host to a few more exceptional collections of Picasso's work. While in Madrid you can visit the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, whose Picasso collection includes an impressive display of wartime portraits, as well as Guernica, the massively-scaled protest of fascism and perhaps his most famous work. Incidentally, this museum is also home to excellent collections of works by many other modern Spanish masters, among them Dalí, Gris, and Miró. If you're traveling to Paris, you should not miss the city's Musée Picasso, whose enormous collection spans the artist's entire career and boasts more Picasso masterpieces than perhaps any other museum in the world. This museum, also in an old palace of sorts (actually, a seventeenth-century hotel), is an excellent compliment to its Barcelona counterpart.
All articles are the exclusive property of Travelocity.com LP, and may not be reproduced in any format without Travelocity.com's express written permission.
|
|
|
|
|
