Museo Picasso Málaga facts for kids
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| Established | 2003 |
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| Location | Málaga, Spain |
| Visitors | 391.319 (2011) |
The Museo Picasso Málaga is a special museum in Málaga, Spain. This is the city where the famous artist Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born. The museum opened in 2003 inside the beautiful Buenavista Palace. It holds 285 amazing artworks given by Picasso's own family.
In 2009, two important groups joined together. One group owned the art, and the other ran the museum. Now, they are one big foundation. This foundation helps keep Picasso's art safe and shared with everyone. Picasso's birthplace in Málaga is also a museum called the Museo Casa Natal, or "Birthplace Museum."
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About the Museum and its Art
The idea for a Picasso museum in his hometown started way back in 1953. Picasso himself even talked about using the Buenavista Palace for it! But the idea didn't happen right away.
Later, Christine Ruiz-Picasso, who was married to Picasso's oldest son, helped bring the idea back to life. She worked with Málaga to show some of Picasso's art in the 1990s. This led to the plan for a big museum. The Museo Picasso Málaga finally opened on October 17, 2003. The King and Queen of Spain were there for the special opening!
Christine Ruiz-Picasso gave 133 artworks to the museum. These included paintings, sculptures, drawings, and even ceramic pieces. Her son, Bernard Ruiz-Picasso, who is Picasso's grandson, also gave 22 more artworks. In total, the museum has 155 original works from the family.
The art shows Picasso's journey as an artist. You can see his early school drawings, his famous cubism style, and even his later works where he re-imagined old masterpieces. The museum also has a huge library with over 800 books about Picasso.
The museum is located in the historic Buenavista Palace. This palace was built a long time ago, in the early 1500s. It was built on top of an even older palace from the Nasrid dynasty. You can still see parts of that ancient palace today!
The Buenavista Palace was named a "National Monument" in 1939. Before it became the Picasso museum, it was home to a fine arts museum from 1961 to 1997. In 1997, the palace was bought to become the Museo Picasso. Other buildings next to the palace were also made ready for the museum. The museum now includes 18 houses from the old Jewish quarter of the city.
The whole museum, including the palace and other buildings, is very large. It uses a lot of natural light, especially through special windows in the roof called skylights.
Making the Palace a Museum
Turning the old palace into a modern museum was a huge project. An American architect named Richard Gluckman led the work. He had experience with old buildings, so he knew what to do. The project cost a lot of money, about 20 million US dollars.
During the building work, amazing discoveries were made underground! Workers found parts of an ancient city wall and towers from the Phoenicians. They also found a Roman factory that made a special fish sauce called garum. And, of course, they found parts of the older Nasrid palace. Because of these finds, the museum's basement is like an archaeological museum itself. You can even see these old ruins through clear panels in the floor!
It was tricky to make a 450-year-old palace ready for art. They had to hide things like air conditioning pipes and lighting wires. They made the air vents look like old designs, blending modern technology with the ancient building. This way, the rooms still felt old and grand, but they were perfect for keeping the art safe.
Picasso's Connection to Calle San Agustín
The Museo Picasso Málaga is very close to where Picasso was born in Plaza de la Merced. The museum is on Calle San Agustín, a street that was important to Picasso and his family.
Even though Picasso moved away from Málaga when he was 10, he went to nursery school on Calle San Agustín. His father, José Ruiz Picasso, was in charge of the city museum on that same street. His father even had his own painting studio there, where young Picasso did some of his very first artworks. From the museum's new staircases, you can even see the church where Picasso was baptized!
See also
In Spanish: Museo Picasso Málaga para niños
- Fundación Picasso, which operates a second, smaller Picasso museum in Málaga
- List of museums in Spain
- List of single-artist museums
- Musée Picasso (Paris)
- Museu Picasso (Barcelona)
