Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Menu de Els
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Margot & La Nana
Quatre Gats
Picasso's premier
Barcelona exhibition
was in 1900, held at
the Barri Gòtic café, Els
Quatre Gats
(see p45)
.
The artist's first commis-
sion was the pen-and-
ink drawing of himself
and a group of artist
friends in top hats, which
graced the menu of this
bohemian hang-out.
Picasso's
Margot (centre)
is an evocative painting depic-
ting a call-girl as she waits for
her next customer, while
La
Nana
captures the defiant
expression and stance of
a heavily rouged female
dwarf dancer.
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El Loco
The Madman (left)
is a fine
example of Picasso's Blue
period. This artistic phase, which
lasted from 1901 to 1904, was
characterized by melancholic
themes and sombre colours.
&
Arlequín
A lifting of spirits led to Picasso's Neo-Classical
period, typified by paintings like
Arlequín
, celebrating
the light-hearted liberty of circus performers.
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Caballo corneado
The anguished horse
in this painting later
appears in
Guernica
, which
reveals the horrors of war.
This work gives viewers
the chance to observe the
process that went into the
creation of Picasso's most
famous painting.
(
Hombre sentado
Works such as
Man
Sitting (right)
confirmed
Picasso's status as the
greatest Analytic Cubist
painter of the 20th century.
)
Las Meninas Series
Picasso's reverence for Velázquez culminated in
this remarkable series of paintings
(below)
, based
on the Velázquez painting
Las Meninas
.
Gallery Guide
The museum is made up
of five inter-connected
medieval palaces. The
permanent collection is
arranged chronologically
on the first and second
floors of the first three
palaces. Temporary exhi-
bitions - usually show-
casing one modern artist
- are housed on the
first and second floors
of the last two palaces.
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For more sights in the Barri Gòtic & La Ribera
See pp70-73
