The 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death, observed on April 8, aligns with the 60th anniversary of the Museu Picasso, the only museum the artist ever opened in his lifetime. Despite his steadfast stance against the Franco dictatorship, Picasso’s personal secretary helped bring the museum to life on Montcada Street on March 9, 1963, with the collaboration of Jaume Sabartés and his wife, Jacqueline, along with the Barcelona City Council and the Gaspar and Gili families. The pivotal moment came in 1970 when a donor from Malaga contributed a thousand artifacts to the museum, which previously resided in the Paseo de Gràcia home of Picasso’s sister Lola, who had passed away in 1958. “We are not the richest Picasso Museum, but we host one of the most visited and significant collections,” states the museum’s director, Emmanuel Guigon.
Picasso and the Barcelonans
The artist arrived in Catalonia at age 13 and spent nine formative years there before moving to Paris. He returned frequently, always holding a special affection for his adopted city. Historically, Picasso struggled to connect with locals, yet that trend shifted as crowds flocked to the museum in February. The site welcomed 700,000 visitors, an all-time high in six decades and an 87% increase from 2022; 34% were domestic visitors and 27% were from Barcelona, a first in its history. “Although the surname was not widely known, the exhibition devoted to Daniel-Henry Kahweiler, Picasso’s dealer, proved a resounding success,” notes Guigon, who is finalizing a Cartography project to map Picasso’s relationship with Barcelona. The star exhibition ‘Miró-Picasso’ is scheduled for October.
art monster
Was the Malaga-born genius a violent and misogynistic figure who deserves forgiveness for his artistic genius? The post–MeToo era revived debate around the man from Málaga. Critics have targeted him for alleged abusive relationships with women who crossed his life and whose influence remains inseparable from his work. If themes of sex, power, and beauty drive the art, can one separate the creator from the artwork?
debatable
With this reinterpretation, Museu Picasso faced its first jolt two years ago when Maria Llopis of Valencia and a student collective staged a silent protest inside the museum, wearing shirts bearing slogans such as “Picasso Bluebeard” or “Picasso’s Shadow of Dora Maar.” A year later the museum embraced a gender-focused view of the artist’s life and work through a collaboration with the UAB, hosting a symposium and two performances that invited reflection on Picasso’s controversial relationships with women. As Lucien Febvre, founder of the Annales School, observed, History is the daughter of its era and its moment. The museum aims to remain contemporary, with a willingness to engage in current conversations. Guigon adds, the museum welcomes this engagement and the ongoing dialogue.
From Sophie Calle to Hannah Gadsby
In an auspicious year, many artists participate in the Museu Picasso program: Carmen Calvo and the renowned Hélène Delprat will contribute to exhibitions, and Orlan along with Pilar Aymerich are invited to interact with the collection. A Parisian presence is anticipated in September, with Sophie Calle participating in a representative project. The relationship with Luxembourg’s Gertrude Stein and with the Musée de Montmartre, including Picasso’s early emotional partner, Fernando Olivier, is revisited. Olivier and Françoise Gilot are also central to an exhibition at the Künstmuseum in Münster. Perhaps the most anticipated moment is a June culmination at the Brooklyn Museum, curated by Hannah Gadsby. Her Netflix-touring show Nanette has sparked discussions on misogyny, with Gadsby challenging the audience to consider a separation of the artist from the art itself. If removal of the name from the paintings is possible, does value shift? It is a question the program periodically raises for reflection and debate.
“We pioneered the discussion”
While Guigon admits he has not watched Gadsby’s Netflix monologue, he does not shy away from the discourse. “We established a PhD last year focused on feminism and Picasso. We have been at the forefront of Picasso-museum conversations in this regard. To pursue serious analysis, one must search, compare, and verify sources. Picasso was a man of the 19th century, a creator who lived to make. He remains the most prolific painter on record, and his generosity should not be forgotten,” he observes. “Every woman Picasso shared his life with—married or not—was a force to be reckoned with. It is fair to critique, but that critique must be earned. Picasso was a complex figure.”
【citation: Museu Picasso, official statements and programming notes】