Gold and silver Picasso 50th Anniversary Coin Collection
The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation presents a commemorative memory coin set marking Picasso’s 50th anniversary. The collection comprises two square coins with a face value of 50 euros and a limited minting representing a total of 5,000 units for the first square coin and 10,000 units for the second square coin, as recorded in the Official Government Gazette (BOE).
The 50 euro coin features the work entitled Mirror Harlequin by Pablo Picasso. This piece was safeguarded at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid in 1923. The coin also carries the inscription SPAIN and the year 2023, with the title Mirrored Harlequin appearing below the image.
The second square coin depicts the work Woman with Arms Raised by Picasso, painted in 1936 and housed at the Picasso Museum in Malaga. The reverse includes SPAIN and the year 2023 in capital letters at the top, and the title WOMAN WITH ARMS RAISED at the bottom of the design.
On the obverse, shared by both pieces, a photographic portrait of Pablo Picasso is shown in front of his work Fan from 1912. Picasso’s signature appears on the right side. Above the portrait, the value EUR 50 is displayed in two lines in uppercase letters, and below that, the mint mark is shown.
The first piece in the back shows a reproduction of Picasso’s Wait Margot from 1901, a painting kept at the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. The inscription LA ESPERA MARGOT sits to the right of the image.
The second piece back presents Head of a Weeping Woman with a Handkerchief III, painted in 1937 and preserved at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid. The right side bears the inscription CRYING WOMAN HEAD WITH A SCARF III.
The third piece back displays Jacqueline Sitting, a painting by Picasso from 1954 housed at the Picasso Museum in Malaga. To the right, the inscription JACQUELINE SITTING is shown.
The fourth piece back features Woman in Blue, painted by Picasso in 1901 and kept at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in Madrid. The right side bears the inscription BLUE WOMAN.
The fifth piece back presents Clown, painted in 1917 and kept at the Picasso Museum in Barcelona. The word HARLEQUIN appears to the right of the image.
The sixth piece back showcases Bullfighting, a work created in 1934 and preserved at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid. The text CORRIDA DE TOROS appears beneath the artwork.
A common detail on the obverse for all six pieces features a portrait of Pablo Picasso taken by photographer Edward Quinn in a white swimsuit, set in his studio at Le Fournas in Vallauris in 1953. The year 2023 and the inscription SPAIN appear at the top, the face value of 10 EURO is on the left, and the mint mark along with Picasso’s signature appear on the right.