Pablo Picasso was born on October 25, 1881 in Málaga, Spain. Málaga is a city in the region of Andalusia in southern Spain on the Costa del Sol or Coast of the Sun on the Mediterranean Sea.
The artist’s name at baptism was designated as Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.
Born to middle class parents, Picasso’s artistic talent was noticed when he was very young. It is said that his first word was “piz,” a shortened version of the word “lápiz,” which means pencil in Spanish.
In 1891, the family moved north to A Coruña in Galicia so his father could take a new teaching position. In 1895, his sister, 7, died after contracting diphtheria. At 13 years old, Picasso was deeply affected by the death of his sister. After this tragedy, the family moved to Barcelona.
Museo Picasso Málaga was opened in 2003 in a building known as the Buenavista Palace. The palace was built in the mid-1500s. Picasso was born about 660 feet from this building that now houses a museum dedicated to him and his art. Picasso also attended a school on the same street.
–the courtyard of the museum in Málaga, Spain
An interesting fact:
The oldest architectural remains in the city are the walls of the Phoenician city, which are visible in the cellar of the Museo Picasso Málaga—Wikipedia
A nice overview of this museum from Lonely Planet:
This unmissable museum in the city of Picasso’s birth provides a solid overview of the great master and his work, although, surprisingly, it only came to fruition in 2003 after over 50 years of planning. The 200-plus works in the collection were donated and loaned to the museum by Christine Ruiz-Picasso (wife of Paul, Picasso’s eldest son) and Bernard Ruiz-Picasso (Picasso’s grandson) and catalogue the artist’s sparkling career with a few notable gaps (the ‘blue’ and ‘rose’ periods are largely missing).
Nonetheless, numerous gems adorn the gallery’s lily-white walls. Highlights include a painting of Picasso’s sister Lola undertaken when the artist was only 13; sculptures made from clay, plaster and sheet metal; numerous sketches; a quick journey through cubism; and some interesting late works when Picasso developed an obsession with musketeers. The museum, which is housed in the 16th-century Buenavista Palace, has a excellent cafe and holds revolving temporary exhibitions.
I experienced a memorable visit to this museum a few years ago.
Hi Denise – I would think this museum is quite special to see. Fascinating facts about Picasso and his early life – cheers Hilary
Yes, Hilary. I was also reading about the birthplace museum, which is much smaller. It is supposed to be very well done, too.
That is one LONG name……and people think Zulu Delta has identity problems! I’m glad you wrote that up Denise!
It is comical, in my opinion. Only would Picasso have such a name!
Better late than never creating a museum for Picasso. 🙂 Several years ago I saw an exhibit of his sculptures. I had no idea until then that he had done sculptures. He was brilliant.
The View from the Top of the Ladder
Yes, at least for the town he was born in, for sure. After he left with his family at 10 years old, I think he was working with people from the city on this future museum, but Picasso never went back to Malaga ever.