13th April 2011

Montcada, a Street of Unique Shops

Carrer Montcada is one of the most singular streets in Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella ‘old town’. The medieval palaces that line both sides for most of its length, with their imposing stone façades and porticoed courtyards, give it an unmistakable character of its own. The Museu Picasso opened its doors here almost fifty years ago, having found a home with a unique historic and artistic heritage. Following its example, other museums and art galleries have come to occupy spaces and buildings on the street, making it an exceptional nucleus of culture. But it’s not only culture that has found a place on carrer Montcada. Still open for business along the way are a number of historic shops, enduring testimony to the commercial importance that the district of La Ribera has had for hundreds of years.

Carrer Montcada. View from the Museu Picasso

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1st December 2010

Wallpaper. The Museu Picasso at the Château de Prangins, Switzerland

Faire parler les murs. Papier peint in situ is the title of the recent conference at the Château de Prangins in Switzerland. The Museu Picasso in Barcelona was invited to present a communication on the ensemble of decorative printed paper from the 16th century, discovered in 2009 in one of the rooms on the ground floor of the Palau Aguilar.

The Château de Prangins is a magnificent building on the shores of Lake Leman. It dates from 1700 and since 1993 has been the home of the Musée national suisse.

Château de Prangins

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5th October 2010

Horta de Sant Joan: a visit to Picasso’s landscapes

Making the most of the past weekend, I made a personal trip to Horta de Sant Joan, where Picasso stayed on two occasions. Both of them had a great impact on his work: the first was in 1898, when he was still a teenager, and the other in 1909, by which time he was a fully fledged painter immersed in the cultural life of Paris.

Picasso in Horta Read more »

30th April 2010

Some of the special Picasso museums are truly unique!

There are a number of museums around Spain specifically devoted to the works of Pablo Picasso, with their own unique monographic collections. Just recently the Museo Picasso-Colección Eugenio Arias in Buitrago de Lozoya (Madrid) celebrated the 25th anniversary of its opening.

The museum and its collection have a fascinating — and moving — story behind them. Eugenio Arias was Picasso’s barber and friend, and he put together this significant collection on the basis of the works given him by the artist during the twenty-six years of their friendship. Read more »