Picasso’s Barcelona

The city of Barcelona is renowned for its Gothic Quarter, its fascinating museums, and its innovative cultural events in which painting, music and theater all play a part; it is also known for its cosmopolitanism and its remarkable historical, artistic, cultural and architectural heritage. In fact, Barcelona is a cultural icon in its own right.

These qualities have attracted numerous artists to the Catalan capital over the centuries, one of which was the highly influential Pablo Ruiz Picasso. Born in Malaga, he is considered to be a genius of contemporary art and his work an essential part of world culture. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of his death and to mark the 60th anniversary of the inauguration of the Picasso Museum, Barcelona is celebrating his work and artistic legacy with a major international program of cultural activities..

Picasso’s love for his adopted city

Picasso flourished in Barcelona and many of his works are still in the city. In fact, the Picasso Museum is just one part of his legacy to the city.

The museum itself opened in 1963, ten years before the artist’s death. The real milestone, however, was Picasso’s donation, on May 8, 1970, of a large amount of works created throughout his life: 236 oil paintings, 1,149 drawings, 17 sketchbooks, and four textbooks with sketches and annotations from his youth. This donation is part of the current collection of more than 3,500 artistic works. The Picasso Museum is an essential visit for enthusiastic admirers of Picasso’s work, who can study his beginnings as an artist and his extraordinary creative output during his time in the city.

A journey through Picasso’s Barcelona

As part of the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023, Barcelona is hosting a wide range of exhibitions, conferences, and other activities. Here are some of the events that are designed to provide a comprehensive insight into Picasso's Barcelona:

1. Barcelona, cradle of Picasso’s art

A number of guided tours through the Born and Gothic quarters will provide an idea of the Barcelona of Picasso’s youth, an ideal introduction to a visit to the museum. These tours will include well-known features such as the Cathedral of Barcelona, the Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar, and the bar Els Quatre Gats. The tours will provide you with a glimpse of the bohemian Barcelona of the early twentieth century where Picasso spent his early years.

2. Find out more about what influenced the painter

As part of the Picasso Celebration 1973-2023, the Barcelona Design Museum will be staging an exhibition entitled “Picasso’s Legacy. The ceramics that inspired the artist,” which will be running until September this year. The exhibition includes 70 ceramic works by Picasso that he donated to museums in Barcelona, alongside other works from the museum. Some of these works were displayed at the 1957 Cannes exhibition La céramique espagnole, du XIIIème siècle a nos jours, which left a deep impression on the artist.

3. Visit the Picasso and Miro museums

The the Fundació Miró is also playing an important role in this commemoration, with the Miro-Picasso and Miro-Picasso II exhibitions, running until February 2024, focusing on the relationship between the two artists. Following a show entitled Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler. Marchante y editor, which showed the influence of this gallery owner on Picasso, the Picasso Museum is now running two further exhibitions Cartografía Picasso. Barcelona,, which explores the relationship between Picasso and the Catalan capital and Picasso en foto. Archivos del Museu Picasso de Barcelona,, which includes photographs of the creative processes of the Spanish painter.

4. Journey through the artist’s style and techniques

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Picasso’s death, the Fundació Fran Daurel will be displaying the varied artistic styles of the artists in 28 works from its permanent collection, including ceramics, etchings, and drawings.

5. Not just painting

Lastly, the Palau de la Música Catalana will be organizing concerts of music associated with Picasso; the Colegio de Arquitectos de Cataluña will be running a show called Picasso, el Urbanismo y la síntesis de las artes,. while the Filmoteca de Cataluña will be showing five little-known films related to the artist’s life.

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