Barcelona’s own: Catalonia through the eyes of Picasso

Barcelona is home to one of the most extensive collections of the works of Pablo Picasso.

Picasso, a native Spaniard, moved to Barcelona as a child and spent his formative years being taught how to paint against the background of a Catalonian skyline. 

Nestled in Barcelona’s La Ribera district, the Picasso Museum Barcelona is a stunning medieval building that hosts over four thousand of Picasso’s original works. Not to mention, it is one of the cheapest museum tickets in the city at only 7 euros.

The museum takes visitors through the various phases of Picasso’s life, exhibiting the change in his style from realism to cubism.

By seeing Picasso’s works displayed chronologically, guests follow how Picasso’s life experiences come through in his brush strokes and color palettes. Ranging from the “Blue Period,” invoking a sense of melancholy and gloom, to “Cubism,” which plays with the traditional perceptions of proportion, these periods were influenced by other artists and surroundings in Picasso’s life. 

The Catalan region was the backdrop for Picasso’s art, along with France. His works display vast skylines and the Spanish coast, which tell the story of a man inspired by his homeland. The Picasso museum is a love letter to the city of Barcelona and a testament to the lasting effects it has on its inhabitants.

Outside the museum are the charming side streets of the La Ribera district, a neighborhood adorned with artistic storefronts. The La Ribera district offers visitors a quieter escape near the bustling area of the Gothic Quarter. In addition to the Picasso Museum Barcelona, La Ribera is home to the Moco Museum Barcelona and Museu Etnològic i de Cultures del Món, an ethnographic museum.