Spain is culture

Malaga, A Coruña, Madrid and Barcelona. These cities mark Pablo Picasso’s formative years, his infancy and youth. By visiting them you will have the chance to learn about the different stages of the amazing painter’s work, as well as discover spaces and environments that inspired some of his most significant artistic icons.

“It took me four years to paint like Rafael, but a lifetime to learn to paint like a child.” This famous phrase by Pablo Picasso clearly describes his creative spirit. Our trip starts in the Spanish places that were key for his education and the first years of his career. This trip will also take us to Spanish museums where we can view some of his masterpieces.

Infancy in Malaga

Picasso was born in Malaga (Andalusia) on 25 October 1881. He spent his first few years here, learning to draw and paint with his father, from whom he inherited an interest in the pictorial theme of doves and a fondness for bulls and flamenco. The Picasso Foundation and Birthplace Museum is located at 15 Plaza de la Merced and exhibits works by Picasso and other contemporary artists from the same era.

The Picasso Museum Malaga is another unmissable stop in the city for anyone interested in enjoying the artist’s work. The collection is made up of over 230 works by Picasso and displays the different Picassian stages through drawings, oil paintings, engravings, sculptures and ceramics.

A Coruña, early artistic studies

In 1891, the Ruiz Picasso family moved to A Coruña (Galicia) as his father became an art professor at the School of Fine Arts. Picasso spent five years in the city, where he started his studies in the School of Fine Arts and also lost his sister to diphtheria. His paintings during these years depict emblematic locations in the city such as the Tower of Hercules and the Riazor beach. There is a tourist route through these and other places connected to Picasso’s stay in the city, including the Picasso Museum House.

Madrid, Prado Museum and more

In 1895, Picasso visited the Prado Museum for the first time and became fascinated by the great artists. In the coming years, he established an artistic dialogue with these artists. In 1897, he continued his studies at the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts, although his attendance was sporadic. In contrast, he frequently visited the Prado Museum in this period.

The Reina Sofía National Art Museum is an unmissable stop in Madrid. This museum has over 100 works by the Malaga-born artist, including the famous “Guernica” painting and his preparatory drawings. 78 kilometres from Madrid, in Buitrago de Lozoya, you can also visit the Picasso Museum - Eugenio Arias Collection, where you can see the works that Picasso’s barber collected over 26 years of friendship.

Barcelona and the avant-garde

In 1895, the family moved to Barcelona and Picasso studied for two years at the La Llotja Fine Arts School. In 1900, he held his first individual exhibition in the city, in the famous Els Quatre Gats, a meeting point for the avant-garde artists of that time. The Picasso Museum in Barcelona is perfect for discovering more about the Cubism genius. Here you can admire the works from his formative years: engravings, ceramics and pieces such as the “Science and Charity” painting, which was exhibited at the Fine Arts National Exhibition in 1897, or the “Las Meninas” series.

200 kilometres from Barcelona you will find the village of Horta de Sant Joan (Tarragona), where Picasso visited twice. Picasso immortalised its landscapes numerous times. The Picasso Centre in the town exhibits reproductions of these works.