Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born in Málaga on October 25, 1881, where he lived until 1891, when he moved with his family to La Coruña, and later to Barcelona. He is one of the greatest exponents of Spanish painting for centuries and a lover of his hometown.
He returned to Málaga on five occasions: during the summers of 1895, 1896, 1897 and 1899, and for a few days in the winter of 1900-1901. From 1904 onwards, he established his residence in France, where he died in 1973. Although his total stay in his hometown was limited to just ten years and a few short periods, his roots in Malaga are clearly perceived in his personality, concepts and ideas. His work also reflects themes - such as bullfighting, pigeons and the Mediterranean - that originate in his childhood. Particularly revealing are his poetic writings, where he frequently evokes Spanish flavours and traditions, with special emphasis on those of his homeland.
In 1957, a group of young painters from Malaga undertook a trip to visit Picasso at his home in Cannes. The reception was exciting and warm. Picasso, nostalgic, asked: "How is the Plaza de la Merced? Are the marble benches and the pebbles on the floor still preserved? How many times have I skinned my knees trying to jump over them! And the pigeons?" In the garden of the villa, Picasso organised an improvised exhibition of "Malaga artists", including himself among them by displaying his own works alongside those of the young people (who from then on adopted the name "Picasso Group").
José Ruiz Blasco, Picasso's father, was a Drawing Assistant at the School of Fine Arts in Malaga and curator of the Municipal Museum. His influence was decisive in Picasso's direction towards painting. Thanks to him, the young man became familiar with the artistic environment of the city, as many painters were friends or colleagues of his father. In addition, the boy became a student of Ruiz Blasco, who taught him the techniques of drawing and painting and, later, guided him in his promising career. From him he inherited his fondness for pigeons as a pictorial subject and his love of flamenco and bullfighting. From this period his first works have been preserved, such as the oil paintings "View of the Port of Malaga" (1888) and "The Yellow Picador" (c. 1889). We can say that the origin of many of the keys to Picasso's work is found in his childhood years.
The Picasso Birthplace Museum or Picasso Foundation Birthplace Museum aims to promote and disseminate the work of the painter Pablo Picasso. Created by the Malaga City Council in 1988, it is located in the building of Picasso's Birthplace, in the so-called Casas de Campos in the Plaza de la Merced. The building that serves as its headquarters dates back to 1872, like the rest of the northern block of the square, built on the initiative of the businessman Antonio Campos Garín acting as architect Gerónimo Cuervo. The artist Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born on the second floor of this building on 25 October 1881.
The Foundation has the following areas of activity: the Birthplace Museum, which houses childhood and family memories of the painter as well as works by Picasso and José Ruiz Blasco; outstanding art collections specialising in the graphic work, drawings and ceramics of Pablo Picasso; a Cultural Promotion department, dedicated to organising cultural activities, conferences and educational activities; a documentation centre, which has a library specialising in the life and work of the artist; and a publications department in charge of the institution's editorial work.
Among the works of art in the Foundation is the notebook of preparatory drawings by Picasso for his work "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon", made in 1907. These 84 drawings are complemented by a repertoire of Picasso's graphic work, covering aesthetic periods between 1905 and 1971, with various techniques such as etching, linocut and drypoint. The Collection of Lithographs is made up of 238 works made between 1930 and 1960, being the second most important in the world. The core of the collection was the Jan Lohn collection, acquired in 2004, which brought together 223 works brought together by this German collector.
There is also an important collection of more than 55 books illustrated by Picasso and other artists such as Joan Miró, Marc Chagall and Max Ernst, which in the case of the painter from Malaga represent more than 500 engravings, with very varied techniques and iconographies. The Foundation also has a selection of 35 ceramic pieces created between 1947 and 1969, representative of Picasso's production.
The collection is completed by a selection of original photographs by Juan Gyenes showing the last decades of the life of the painter from Malaga; the legacy of sculptures by Frank Rebajes; and a collection of paintings and sculptures by contemporary authors that includes works by artists from the fifties of the last century to authors and works of our days.
The Birthplace of Pablo Ruiz Picasso is an Asset of Cultural Interest, according to Law 16/1985 of June 25. It was declared a Historic Artistic Monument on March 25, 1983.
Currently, the Picasso Museum in Malaga is one of the most visited and valued museums by its inhabitants, just a few meters from our luxury apartments in Malaga, let yourself be carried away by the magic of THE SUN PLACES, and the work of this exceptional painter from Malaga.