The entertainment of the French capital is not limited to the romance of the Eiffel Tower and fresh croissants. A large number of attractions are concentrated in it, and along with the famous Louvre Museum a significant place in the history of the country is occupied by the Picasso Museum in Paris. Here are the works of the most famous Spanish artist who influenced the development of 20th-century art.
The gallery is completely devoted to the works of Pablo Picasso - hundreds of paintings written in various genres, sculptures, ceramics and the works of this great man's favorite artists. Museum visitors can easily follow the artist’s entire creative career - from the sketches of a poor Spanish student to the great works of his last years.
Museum building
The museum is located in the "Hotel Sale" mansion. Now it is a historical building, which is under state protection. The mansion was built in 1659 with the participation of architects who had a hand in creating the Royal Louvre for entrepreneur Pierre Aubert. The first owner of the palace made his fortune by increasing salt taxes. Actually, the idea of the name was gleaned from this fact (the name of the mansion is translated from French as “salty”). However, the businessman’s fame was short-lived - already in 1661 he was ravaged, and his palace began its history.
Over the entire period of its existence, the modern Pablo Picasso Museum in Paris has changed many owners. Since 1668, for about 20 years, the palace belonged to the Embassy of Venice, and in the XIX century it turned into a school of arts and crafts. Only in the 60s of the XX century the mansion went to the city hall, and in 1974 the state took it for a hundred-year lease from the Paris administration. Then, the restoration of the building lasted about 11 years - the task was to restore the object without affecting its historical nature. This place was not accidentally chosen for the museum - historians know that Picasso loved beautiful buildings with atmospheric architecture and a deep past.
A bit about history
The first thought about creating a museum dedicated to the works of Picasso arose in 1975 - already 2 years after his death. The city where it was planned to create an extensive collection was not chosen by chance. The Spanish creator established himself in Paris as an artist, acquired a fortune and lived most of his life.
The museum opened in 1985. Despite his still short life, he managed to acquire an interesting story. The official opening took place only 10 years after the emergence of this idea due to a lack of works by the artist. It turned out to be extremely difficult to find Picasso's creations, even in the treasures of famous collectors his paintings were extremely rare. And all because the artist did not like to sell his paintings - he left all his treasures to his descendants.
Fate of heritage
The Minister of Culture Andre Malraux, who became famous at that time, was concerned about the fate of the works of the famous artist. He was sure that after the death of Picasso all his masterpieces would disperse around the world and imperceptibly settle in private collections. The Minister did his utmost to influence the legislation of that time. So there was an addition in the form of an increased inheritance tax rate. Now the descendants, instead of large sums of money, could pay the state with works of art.
After the death of the artist, the cost of his heritage, even by rough estimates, was estimated at one billion francs. The full owners of the property were his last wife, Jacqueline Rock and son Paulo, who did not have the means to pay an impressive tax on paintings. Therefore, a commission was created that determined the list of works that would go to France. The assortment was huge, so it was decided to take only absolute masterpieces.
Brilliant works
It was thanks to the artist’s family that the first unique collection was created, which replenished the Picasso Museum in Paris. The works were supplemented by another portion of paintings in 1990, when the widow of the artist died. Since then, the gallery was gradually replenished with single copies, which were kindly provided by the owners of private collections.
Now the Picasso Museum in Paris has an extensive collection of 5,000 copies and tens of thousands of archival documents. Visitors are offered more than 200 paintings, about 1,500 drawings, sculptures, prints, ceramics and experimental works of Picasso. There is also an exhibition with personal photos, where the artist is depicted with his family.
After restoration
In 2009, the global restoration of the museum began. It lasted 5 years. The renewed Picasso Museum in Paris survived the official opening on October 25, 2014. The date successfully coincided with the anniversary of the birthday of the great artist. A long reconstruction of the building expanded the area by 3 times, which allowed to increase the gallery. The museum was supplemented by a personal collection of genius, which included paintings by other famous artists.
The interior of the mansion is decorated with furniture made by designer Diego Giacometti to decorate the Picasso Museum in Paris. The authorities spent 52 million dollars on reconstruction. This is one and a half times more than planned.
Address and opening hours
The third district of the French capital is replete with outstanding sights, here the Picasso Museum in Paris also found its place. The address where you can find the Sale mansion is: Mare district, Torini street, 5. The easiest way to get to the museum is by metro (line 8, get off at Sant Paul station) or by bus (routes 29 96, 69, 75).
This attraction is quite simple to find - each local will tell you where the Picasso Museum in Paris is located. Opening hours are from 9.30 to 18.00 every day, except Tuesday. Weekend 2 times a year - January 1 and December 25.