MUSEO PICASSO
MALAGA

Text and Photography by Mart Engelen

Pablo Picasso, Bust of a Woman, Paris 1943, oil on canvas Fundacion Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte. On temporary loan to the Museo Picasso, Malaga

Pablo Picasso, Bust of a Woman, Paris 1943, oil on canvas
Fundacion Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte. On temporary loan to the Museo Picasso, Malaga

The Museo Picasso Málaga in the Palacio de Buenavista has been on my wish list for a long time and so now the ‘En El Camino’ road trip through Spain was the perfect time to pay this extraordinary museum a visit. Pablo Picasso, who was born in Málaga in 1881, always expressed the desire to have a home for his works in his native city. The museum’s opening in 2003 transformed the city and was the first step in Málaga’s bid to become a serious tourist destination. Since its founding, the museum has been a wonderful tribute to the greatest artist of the twentieth century. The Museo Picasso is the most visited museum in Andalucia. In 2017 it had an extensive facelift; along with giving the structure a new look, the most relevant aspect of the renovation is the new artworks. Thanks to an agreement with the Almine and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Art Foundation, the Museo Picasso Málaga will have access to over 162 paintings by the artist on top of the 233 works in its own collection. Most of them are unknown to the general public and some have never been on display before. When I visited the Dialogues with Picasso. Collection 2020-2023 exhibition, I was particularly struck by the layout: thematic and chronological. This exhibition narrative enables visitors to acquire a deeper knowledge of Picasso’s career by grouping his works in a way that helps them to appreciate his artistic progression. It was by far the most interesting Picasso exhibition I have ever seen and is one not to be missed.

Photo by Andre Villers, Picasso with revolver and hat of Gary Cooper, 1959

Photo by Andre Villers, Picasso with revolver and hat of Gary Cooper, 1959

Pablo Picasso, Bullfighter, Mougins 1971, oil on canvas Fundacion Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte. On temporary loan to Museo Picasso Malaga

Pablo Picasso, Bullfighter, Mougins 1971, oil on canvas
Fundacion Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte. On temporary loan to Museo Picasso Malaga