Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of his mother from 1896. Works in the style of Toulouse-Lautrec, like the menu Picasso did
for
Els Quatre Gats
tavern in 1900, reflect his burgeoning interest in Parisian art at the turn
ofthecentury,whileothersketches,drawingsandillustrations(manyundertakenforcompet-
itions and magazines) clearly show Picasso's development of his own unique personal style.
His paintings from the famous
Blue Period
(1901-04) burst upon you - whether its moody
Barcelona rooftops or the cold face of
La Dona Morta
- and subsequent galleries trace the
Pink Period (1905-06), though with the barest nod to his Cubist (1907-20) and Neoclassical
(1920-25) stages.
Las Meninas
The large gaps in the main collection (for example, nothing after the early Pink Period
worksof1905untilthecelebrated
Harlequin
of1917)onlyunderlinePicasso'sextraordinary
changes of style and mood. This is best illustrated by the large jump to 1957, a year repres-
ented by his 44 interpretations of Velázquez's masterpiece,
Las Meninas
, completed in just
four months between August and December. In these, Picasso brilliantly deconstructed the
individual portraits and compositions that make up Velázquez's work; in addition, and neatly
juxtaposed, are displayed nine more donated works by Picasso, gorgeous light-filled Medi-
terranean scenes inspired by the pigeons and dovecotes of his Cannes studio.
Other works, ceramics and prints
The museum also addresses Picasso as
ceramicist
, highlighting the vibrantly decorated
dishes and jugs given to the museum by his wife, Jacqueline. There are various portraits of
Jacqueline here, too, though it's the deep friendship Picasso shared with Jaime Sabartes for
almost seventy years that provokes the clearest expression of endearment, in a separate room
of mature portraits, character studies and jokey sketches by one friend of another. Finally,
separate rooms display annually changing exhibitions of Picasso's
prints
, culled from the
1500 or so engravings and lithographs that the museum possesses.
Along Carrer de Montcada
Jaume I
The street on which the Museu Picasso stands -
Carrer de Montcada
- is one of the best-
looking in the city. It was laid out in the fourteenth century and, until the Eixample was
plannedalmostfivehundredyearslater,washometomostofthecity'sleadingcitizens.They
occupied spacious mansions built around central courtyards, from which external staircases
climbed to the living rooms on the first floor; the facades facing the street were all endowed
with huge gated doors that could be swung open to allow coaches access to the interior.
Today, almost all the mansions and palaces along La Ribera's showpiece street serve instead
as museums, private galleries and craft and gift shops, sucking up the trade from Picasso-
bound visitors.
