Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Great Things to do in Barcelona for FREE - Part 4

With almost 890,000 visits a year, and tucked away on Carrer Montcada in el Borne district, one of the Top 10 Barcelona Museums is definitely the Picasso Museum.

Picasso Museum on Barcelona sights Blog

Picasso was from Malaga, but spent some of his youth in Barcelona, where his father worked as an art teacher in an old town school. The Barcelona Picasso Museum traces a lot of his early life here, and was the only Museum dedicated to the work of the man which was opened during his lifetime.

Arches at the Picasso Museum - Barcelona Sights Blog

So hold on, I hear you ask, surely this can't be FREE, as the title of the post suggests?! Well guys the good news is that on the First Sunday of the month, the Picasso Museum opens it doors to the public for free, and it's well worth trotting on down to see it - not only for the magnificent artwork you'd expect to find in there, but also because of the beautiful historical building housing the work. First opened in 1963, the museum has undergone substatial reconstruction work, and now covers 5 palaces over 11,500 square metres. You can see from the image below how lavish some of the places were/are.

Palace Interior at the Picasso Museum - Barcelona Sights

One of the best things about the museum (in my humble opinion) is that you see that he was actually a really good recreator of natural forms. Maybe that sounds stupid, but I mean if you ask anyone to describe a Picasso, you'd more than likely get a reply that "he paints the eyes on the same side of the face and uses wacky colours" - you get the idea.

However some of his early stuff (you'll forgive me for not remembering the names - there are over 3,500 pieces on display) are excellent. There's one in particular of which he won a prize and made his mark as a serious artist, of a bed-ridden ill woman being attended to by a doctor and apart from being huge, it's very very good. I'm sure for art-lovers, then the entrance fee is well worth the money, but for those of you simply curious and fancy a look around with no pressure, get yourselves down there on the first Sunday of the month.

Like what you're reading? Please feel free to leave a comment below - I appreciate any feedback. For more information about the city see this short but informative Barcelona Guide and check out these apartments for rent in Barcelona for a great alternative to a hotel.

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